Offer rejected as Crystal Palace face Nottingham Forest battle to sign Everton star Dwight McNeil before deadline

Crystal Palace are still in talks with Everton about signing Dwight McNeil before the transfer deadline but “more than one club” are reportedly in for the ex-Burnley man.

The Eagles, per the Daily Mail live transfer blog, have had an offer knocked back by Everton but the clubs are still in discussions as the Eagles try and add to their ranks.

Nottingham Forest have also ‘enquired’ but time is running out for a deal to be done. The transfer deadline for Premier League clubs is 7pm.

The 7pm deadline can be bent slightly though and post-deadline announcements are possible. Although the cut-off is strict, deals can be confirmed later if clubs submit a "deal sheet" before the deadline, granting them a two-hour extension to finalise paperwork.

Premier League clubs must complete a 'deal sheet' so that they can process a transfer in the last two hours of the window being open. Not every detail can be completed this close to the clock ticking down, so it buys them a bit of time.

Last minute deals aren’t uncommon due to medicals, travel and last-minute hitches, so it gives Premier League clubs a bit of a safety net when they are scrambling around to get deals done.

And it could be the case that a deal could be agreed for McNeil to move to Palace or Forest before 7pm. A deal sheet would then need to be submitted in order to finalise the move.

Everton are signing Tyrique George from Chelsea but have lost Jack Grealish to a serious injury so an exit for McNeil may also hinge on the Toffees adding more reinforcements.