McLeish's admiration of Hutton has been long-standing and he is stepping up his interest in the player after the departure of Luke Young to QPR at the weekend.
Villa are expecting to pay around ?3 million for Hutton who has slipped down the pecking order at Spurs since the emergence of Kyle Walker.
It was Walker's impressive loan spell at Villa last season which helped convince Harry Redknapp he was ready to be a major part of his plans at White Hart Lane.
McLeish still wants to bring in Hutton despite the impressive performance of youngster Chris Herd against Wolves at the weekend.
The Scot is also looking to sign a creative midfielder after Jean Makoun was allowed to join Olympiacos on a season-long loan.
McLeish could not guarantee the player regular first-team football.
Makoun's departure has freed up funds for McLeish to try and strengthen in that department and he recognises Villa are short of experienced players.
Source: PA
Source: PA