Mark Lawn has dismissed any suggestion that mystery money men are circling City to take control.

The club still field the occasional approach from interested parties but nobody with the financial clout they would demand.

A wild rumour recently linked Peterborough owner Darragh MacAnthony with Valley Parade but Lawn insists City are no nearer to unearthing a mega-bucks backer capable of whisking them back up the divisions.

The co-chairman said: “I’d love to talk to somebody with the cash to really invest in this club but we’ve not found one yet.

“As we always say, Julian (Rhodes) and I are only the custodians of Bradford City. We’re both fans and we’ll take it on as long as we can.

“But we would leave without any profit at all if we felt the right person came along who could make a difference. We wouldn’t stand in anyone’s way.

“We get people inquiring but not with the sort of money to alter the club. That’s what they’d need to do.

“It’s got to be someone who can alter the club and take it beyond what Julian and myself can do.

“You’ve also got to make sure they are the right person. You see what’s happened elsewhere and just because people come along with a lot of money, they’ve also got to have the club’s best interests at heart.

“You don’t want someone who just sees it as a way of making a short gain to make a profit and get out.”

Lawn, who took up joint control with Rhodes four years ago, also questioned why so many supporters are keen to see a change of ownership at their clubs without thinking through the potential consequences.

“Sometimes it amazes me how simplistic the fans can be,” he added.

“I was watching TV the other day and they were outside the training ground at Chelsea. There were signs scrawled on the wall saying ‘Ancelotti and Abramovich out’.

“What do they think would happen to their club if (Roman) Abramovich suddenly upped and left? Those supporters have no idea about it and are being totally unrealistic.

“We get people asking why Bradford City aren’t spending in the January transfer market. I’ll tell you exactly why, because we’ve already overspent our budget.

“So unless somebody can find a magic money tree and give it a shake for us, that’s not going to change.

“At present nobody can come along with the sort of investment that would make a difference.”