Gunners' bid for Mata rejected

Juan Mata's father and agent claims Valencia have rejected an offer from Arsenal - but the Gunners are expected to return with a second bid.

The 23-year-old is a man in demand as he is now into the final year of his Los Che contract, meaning he could leave for free next summer. A host of clubs are circling for the player's signature and Arsenal are reportedly vying with the likes of Tottenham and Inter Milan for his signature. However, it seems Arsenal will need to increase their offer for Mata if manager Arsene Wenger is to get his man before the summer transfer window closes. "Valencia simply rejected their offer," said Mata's father to calciomercato.com. "After some hesitation they answered 'no' to the Gunners' offer. Mata's father, Juan Manuel Mata Rodriguez, also says his son has great respect for Italian giants Inter Milan, although the Italian giants are yet to table an offer. "So my son remains a Valencia player, for now. But I don't think it's their last offer. "There are several offers for Mata and I think that Arsenal will come forward again. The situation is still evolving. "Are Inter Milan one of the interested teams? I know my son holds Milan in high esteem. We'll see if Inter will come forward directly."