Former Hull City chairman Adam Pearson last night laughed off talk of him leading a £90m takeover bid for Derby County.
Derby, who have been the subject of a number of takeover stories in recent weeks, brushed off the report, saying they were not prepared to comment on "ongoing speculation in the national press".
And Pearson, who is believed to have made around £4.5m from the sale of Hull this summer, was also reluctant to comment.
"If I say anything it will just give credence to it and I'm just not prepared to comment, I'm sorry I cannot be more helpful," he said.
"If I commented every time somebody put something in the paper about us buying a club at the minute, I would be on the phone all day.
"We have been linked with a number of clubs and it's just ridiculous."
