Aston Villa are readying their first bid for Burnley winger Dwight McNeil, according to Football Insider.

What's the latest news on Dwight McNeil?

It was recently reported that the Villans were keen on bringing McNeil over to the Midlands this summer.

They now appear to have stepped up their interest in the 21-year-old, and are prepared to make an opening offer of £15m to Burnley.

Will Burnley accept Villa's offer for McNeil?

It seems unlikely.

Even Villa do not seem completely convinced themselves that their initial bid will be enough, as it has been claimed that this is a move from them to test the waters to see if Burnley are open to the idea of selling McNeil.

Given that the rising star only signed a new contract with Burnley in October, which is set to keep him at the club until 2024, it appears that Villa will have to up their offer to land their man in the next transfer window.

How did McNeil perform against Villa this season?

Very well.

Villa's interest in the hot prospect may have stemmed from McNeil's showing against them at Turf Moor back in January. 

He caused them all sorts of problems that day, registering a goal and an assist in a 3-2 victory for Sean Dyche's men. This earned him a match rating of 8.03 from WhoScored - he has only received a higher mark on two occasions this term. 

Coming away from that game, it would have been hard not to have been impressed by McNeil, and it looks as though Villa have not forgotten his standout performance in a hurry.

What has Dwight McNeil said about his style of play?

McNeil's dribbling skills have come to the fore this season, as the 6 foot midfielder has managed 57 successful dribbles in the Premier League. It is no surprise that is a strength of his given the player that he looked up to as a youngster.

Speaking to The Guardian in 2019, McNeil revealed that he admired Ryan Giggs' skill set when he was growing up.

He said: “I used to watch everything he did. Direct dribbles past people, crosses, goals, leadership, I just lapped it up. I was a United fan anyway, and so was my brother Bailey, but whereas he used to change the name on the back of his shirt quite often, every time United bought someone exciting or new, I just stuck with Giggs all the way through.”

Giggs' most memorable moment of his distinguished career came at Villa Park when he jinked his way past numerous Arsenal defenders before firing home the winning goal to send Manchester United through to the FA Cup final in the year that they won their historic treble.

If McNeil gets his move to Villa this summer, he could get the chance to recreate that unforgettable run in the years to come.