Norwich City’s Chris Martin ‘seeking Championship move’ - Swindon boss Paolo Di Canio

Swindon boss Paolo Di Canio has ruled out a fresh move for Norwich striker Chris Martin – with the Italian claiming Martin is lining up a Championship switch.

The 24-year-old returned to his parent club at the weekend after spending an extended loan spell at the League One play-off hopefuls. Martin’s current Norwich deal expires in the summer and with Chris Hughton omitting the striker from his latest 25-man Premier League squad list, the former Canaries’ academy prospect has been linked with Derby.

Di Canio is no longer interested in a potential West Country return when the emergency loan window opens later this week after Martin scored once in 12 appearances for the Robins.

“Absolutely not. He took one month to get fit and see him as an athlete as he was in the past. Even if I had an intention to keep him, in the last few days before the transfer window finished, he said to me he had a chance or he still has a chance to move to a different club – maybe the Championship,” said Di Canio. “How and why do I persuade a player who was telling me before he desperately wanted to stay and then in the last few days maybe he has the chance to go somewhere else. Thanks to him for what he has done. He scored one goal, he won one penalty when we were already on top with Tranmere, he challenged one ball at Bournemouth but in 12 games it was very, very poor in some way.

“I was sure he would give something more until the end because he’s got quality and I believe that I could help him, but once he told me there is a chance I thought – even if he lost this chance – I didn’t want to keep him.

“The fact he had already thought about a move to another place that is not for me.”