FORMER Sunderland chairman Niall Quinn insists that suggestions he is ready to lead another takeover of the club are “not true”.

The ex-Black Cats striker is known to have had contact with a group some time ago interested in buying control from current owner Ellis Short.

But Quinn, while admitting he is aware of potential parties interested, has stressed he is not looking to head any drive from a consortium or otherwise that would see his return to the Stadium of Light.

"Not true," the Irishman said. "Sadly someone jumped the gun there a little bit and probably felt I was doing more.

"I was actually in Sunderland a couple of times but it was nothing to do with football and maybe that’s where it came from.

"At the same time I, like everybody else, hopes the situation gets better there very quickly.

"There are one or two people who are meant to be interested in buying the club, I hear all that. I’m the same as the fans but we’ll just see how it plays. No, I’ve nothing special to tell you there, I just hope they get out of it.

"I’m gone six years now so I haven’t left anything behind me in terms of my support for the club. I’d like to see it turned around, I just don’t think it’s going to be me."

Quinn - speaking to RTE at the National Aquatic Centre in Ireland - fronted the Drumaville Consortium when claimed control from Sir Bob Murray in 2006. He left the club in the hands of Short in 2012.