11 August 2026

The swap deal is something more commonly linked with Pokémon cards or book clubs, but every now and then it also appears in the unpredictable world of football transfers.

This week, Everton and Crystal Palace completed one of those uncommon arrangements, with Brennan Johnson and Dwight McNeil switching clubs in search of a fresh beginning. In the wake of that move, here is a look back at some of the most memorable swap deals in football history.

It is easy to overlook the fact that Clarence Seedorf had only a brief spell at Inter Milan, given how strongly the Dutch midfielder is associated with the red and black colours of AC Milan.

Seedorf joined AC Milan in a notable exchange involving their San Siro neighbours. In the 2002 deal, Inter received wing-back Francesco Coco in return for Seedorf, and it was a swap that AC Milan unquestionably benefited from more.

By the time Seedorf arrived at the Rossoneri, he was already a two-time Champions League winner. He went on to add two more European Cups during his spell with the club. He also became the first player in history to win the Champions League with three different clubs, having previously lifted the trophy with Ajax and Real Madrid.

Coco, by comparison, struggled with injuries and was unable to make a significant impact at Inter before retiring from football at the age of 30.

After a dominant treble-winning campaign under Pep Guardiola, Barcelona went looking for a marquee addition to sharpen their attack. Swedish superstar Zlatan Ibrahimovic emerged as the headline target, with Barca paying a substantial fee to sign the striker from Inter Milan.

Inter, though, wanted more to complete the move, and Samuel Eto'o was sent the other way. The Cameroon forward had scored in two different Champions League final victories for Barcelona against Manchester United during a glittering spell in Catalonia, but he was included as part of the exchange.

It remains arguably the biggest swap deal football has ever seen, with two truly world-class forwards moving in opposite directions, along with a significant cash component.

Zlatan scored 21 goals during his one-season stay at Barcelona, but friction with Guardiola meant his time in Spain did not last long. Eto'o, meanwhile, moved from one treble-winning side to another, helping Inter Milan win the Champions League, Coppa Italia and Serie A in his first season under Jose Mourinho.

When Manchester United completed the signing of Alexis Sanchez, a wave of optimism spread around Old Trafford.

The Chile international had been one of the Premier League’s standout performers during his spell at Arsenal, scoring heavily and adding a relentless work rate to the attack.

However, Sanchez looked a shadow of the player he had been at Arsenal, burdened by expectation and perhaps by the weight of a club-record salary. He managed only three league goals in a disappointing 18-month spell.

Mkhitaryan, just as he had done at Manchester United, showed occasional glimpses of his ability at Arsenal, but never consistently reached the level many had anticipated.

Before PSR and book profit became part of the modern conversation, there were the hugely inflated valuations attached to Miralem Pjanic and Arthur Melo.

Barcelona and Juventus exchanged the two midfielders in deals that totalled €140m, with the transfers proving more effective on the balance sheets than on the pitch.

Melo struggled to establish himself in Turin and has spent the last four years out on various loan spells, while Pjanic made only 19 league appearances for Barcelona before departing for UAE side Sharjah FC.