Arsenal set to offload trio to make room for Porto forward Jackson Martinez

Arsenal are reportedly preparing a move for Porto striker Jackson Martinez, but Arsene Wenger will have to offload some of the underperforming players to accommodate the Colombian star.

According to the Mirror, the French manager is ready to let go Lukas Podolski, Joel Campbell and Yaya Sanogo, as the three have failed to impress the manager during their loan stints away from the club.

The trio struggled to break into the team in the first half of the 2014/15 campaign and were shipped out on loan to Inter Milan, Villarreal and Crystal Palace respectively during the January transfer window.

They failed to impress with their loan clubs and are set to return to the Emirates Stadium, but the manager will allow them to leave the club on a permanent basis in the summer.

Campbell has reportedly attracted interest from Villarreal and Real Sociedad, while Lukas Podolski could be a target for a few Bundelsiga clubs, but his £100,000-a-week wages could be a stumbling block for interested clubs.

Wenger is keen to bring in a top quality forward to challenge Olivier Giroud for a starting spot as the Gunners look to mount a title challenge in the upcoming campaign, despite the presence of Theo Walcott and Danny Welbeck in the squad.

Martinez has been impressive for Porto in the last couple of seasons, and ended the recent campaign as the club's top scorer with 32 goals in all competitions.

The Colombian forward, who will be allowed to leave, is contracted to the Portuguese club until the summer of 2017, but has a £24.8m release clause in his contract that the north London club are reportedly willing to match.

Earlier in the month, reports suggested that Arsenal had agreed a deal in principle with the player for a summer move, but the claims were dismissed by his agent.

Manchester United have also shown interest in signing the Martinez, who is currently with his national team at the Copa America, after Louis van Gaal sent scouts to watch him during Porto's Champions League clash against Bayern Munich.