Niall Quinn Claims He Is 'Certainly Not' Fronting Sunderland Takeover Bid Amid Rumours

Sunderland legend Niall Quinn is remaining coy over rumours that he is leading an Irish consortium ahead of a potential takeover bid at the Stadium of Light.

It was suggested last month that the former Black Cats player, manager and chairman would be fronting the move to take over from current owner Ellis Short. However, Quinn was adamant at the time that any story surrounding his involvement in a takeover attempt was premature.

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

It is claimed that William O’Brien - a Cork-based businessman who runs a successful storage and crane hire company with ties across Europe - is behind the rumoured takeover bid, although he is yet to comment on the recent reports.

"I take my hat off to you for your persistence, but I have no comment," O’Brien told The Times when he was asked to discuss the rumours.

The Times also quote Quinn following the re-emergence of the Sunderland takeover story, where the 51-year-old said: "I’m certainly not leading a consortium to try to buy the club."

It is estimated that Sunderland owner Short has invested €90m in the club during his time in charge but the owner is willing to sell at cut-price deal. This is largely due to the club's debt, much of which is owed to Short, that stands at roughly €150m.