Burnley winger Dwight McNeil could be the subject of a transfer tug of war this summer having impressed yet again last season for the Turf Moor side, managing two goals and five assists from left-midfield in a side that only scored 33 Premier League goals, a decent tally for a traditional left-winger, rather than an inside forward.
Everton are the favourites to sign McNeil as the Toffees are apparently looking to sign traditional wingers who cross the ball regularly as new manager Rafael Benitez has pinpointed Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s areal threat as a main source of goals for the upcoming season.
Following the release of Josh King, as well as Brazilian winger Bernard set to be made surplus to requirements, there is room for McNeil on the left flank, and the Burnley man could create an impressive partnership with France left-back Lucas Digne, which would be up there as the most direct crossing partnership in the Premier League.
What could further enhance the Toffees chances is Burnley’s rumoured interest in 24-year-old English right-back Jonjoe Kenny, meaning that he could be used as a makeweight to save on some transfer fee on the 21-year-old former Manchester United youth player.
Aston Villa are also on this list of clubs that are interested in the Burnley winger, as the Villains are looking for another wide midfield player who can play on the left due to Egyptian winger Trezeguet suffering a long-term injury, as well as Dean Smith looking to add quality to his side which finished in 11th place, scoring 55 goals.
A move for McNeil could potentially see star player Jack Grealish move into a more central role as a free-roaming playmaker in behind Ollie Watkins, which is something that the Rochdale born winger is also capable which could enhance the Villains creativity, or the signing of the Burnley man could potentially allow Villa to let Grealish go to Manchester City in a big-money move.
McNeil is priced at 3/1 to trade in the claret of Burnley for that of Aston Villa.
Leicester City are also on the hunt to try and sign McNeil from Burnley, as they are looking to increase their squad depth having qualified for the Europa League for a second season running, as well as having run out of steam in their bid to finish in the top four in each of the last two seasons, of which their run-ins have partially been hampered due to injuries to key players.
With Harvey Barnes being Leicester’s only natural left-winger, this means that they are reliant on the fitness of the Englishman if they are to play a formation with a left-winger in it. McNeil would offer good competition to Barnes and has even shown when playing at the Under 21 Euros that he could potentially be a capable left-wing-back due to his defensive discipline and good crossing from deep.
The Foxes are priced at 18/1 to make a move for McNeil in the current transfer window.
McNeil has also been linked with a move to Premier League champions Manchester City which in truth is a testament to how well the Burnley man has played since bursting onto the scene late on in the 2017/18 season.
With rumours circulating that Raheem Sterling is set to leave the Etihad Stadium following interest from the likes of Real Madrid, McNeil could offer a younger and slightly cheaper option than an already established world-class winger that they could mould into their own style at 21-years-old.
The Burnley man comes fairly locally as he was born in Rochdale and this move could be ideal for him as he wouldn’t have to move away from home and could learn off an array of world-class talents at the Etihad Stadium.
Southampton are the final English team on this list of clubs that have been linked with making a move for McNeil, as Ralph Hassenhuttl is looking to add to his promising squad whose form veered off badly towards the end of the season, having been in a battle for the top four last Christmas.
At present, the Saints have five players who can play on the wings at present in Nathan Redmond, Moussa Djenepo, Theo Walcott and Mohamed Elyounoussi and Nathan Tella, however, Walcott and Redmond are often utilised as a striker in Hassenhuttl’s setup, whilst Elyounoussi has spent the last two seasons out on loan at Celtic and done fairly well, finding the back of the net 14 times in 44 matches.
There is a possibility that someone like Elyounoussi could be sold in order to raise some transfer funds if the Austrian manager still doesn’t favour the Norwegian and the signing of McNeil would be a perfect fit for the Saints who often used a 4-4-2 ‘Gegenpress’ setup, something he is familiar with at Burnley.
McNeil is priced at 20/1 to join Southampton ahead of the upcoming 2021/22 Premier League season.
AC Milan have been rumoured to be looking at the Burnley man following the shock departure of Hakan Calhanoglu. AC Milan have a few players who can play on the left-wing such as Brahim Diaz and Jens Petter Hauge, but all have inferior crossing capabilities than McNeil who could be a useful asset for the San Siro club, due to having the likes of Olivier Giroud and Zlatan Ibrahimovic on their books.
The Serie A outfit have shown in recent times that they are not strangers to invest in young English talent who they deem to have good potential and a high resale value, following their signing of Fikayo Tomori on a permanent transfer this summer, having had the former Chelsea man on loan for the second half of last season.
AC are priced at 20/1 to sign their second Englishman of the summer in the shape of McNeil.
Juventus are the final team on this list of clubs that have shown an interest in the signature of Clarets winger McNeil.
The Old Lady have appointed Massimiliano Allegri for the upcoming season and know that the Italian likes to play a three of five at the back formation. At present, they only have Alex Sandro who is a natural left-sider who can play as a left-wing-back in a back five, a role which McNeil showed he had potential in with England’s youth setup.
If Allegri shifts his system to a three at the back then the role would suit the Burnley man due to his defensive discipline and good crossing ability, as well as providing balance in the system due to being a left-footed player.
Juve are priced at 20/1 to sign Burnley’s 21-year-old winger this summer.