Jackson Martinez
Jackson Martinez has scored 83 goals in 118 games for Porto Reuters

Jackson Martinez's agent, Henrique Pompeo, has claimed the coveted Porto striker wants to move to Serie A rather than the Premier League, despite him being linked since with a transfer to English football since last season.

The 28-year-old striker joined Porto in the summer of 2012 to replace Radamel Falcao. And after the club successfully coped with the absence of the now Manchester United star - with Martinez scoring 83 goals in 118 games – the Colombia international has reportedly attracted the attention of a number of big European clubs.

Chelsea were reportedly interested in securing his services last summer before opting to sign Diego Costa, while Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger was also said to be monitoring his situation prior to his move for Danny Welbeck.

But recently, Liverpool and Tottenham have also been linked with the services of the striker, who has a £28m release clause.

Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers is still looking to fill the void left by Luis Suarez's departure to Barcelona last summer, while Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino is reportedly not happy with the performances of Emmanuel Adebayor and Roberto Soldado.

However, it appears both clubs will have to look elsewhere should they want to bolster their attacking options, after Martinez's agent claimed the striker wants a future move to Italy.

"His desire is clear: he wants to play in Serie A. He has his heart set on Italy and if he were to leave Porto then Serie A would be his first choice," Pompeo said to AreaNapoli.it.

Asked about interest from manager Rafa Benitez, he added: "He'd be happy at Napoli because we are talking about a very special club, but he'd be happy with Roma, Milan or Juventus too. They are all great teams."

Nevertheless, Pompeo pointed out Martinez's expected move to Italy will not happen until the end of the season.

He said: "It is very unlikely Porto would let him leave in January, because they still need him for the Champions League and to chase Benfica in the table. Benifica are losing ground and it is still possible to win the league."