Ron Noades has refuted rumours he is set to get back involved with Crystal Palace.

The former Eagles chairman was said to be considering a return to the club he ran between 1981 and 1998, a period that saw them promoted to the old First Division, reach the FA Cup final, finish third in the top tier and win the Zenith Data Systems Cup.

However, he says he has no interest in buying the club from Simon Jordan and believes it will be hard for the current Eagles supremo to find an investor given Palace's current debt.

"I am not at all interested in being involved again," said Noades.

"I can't see, with the amount of debt the club has, how he can sell it.

"Whoever is going to get involved with the club has to buy the freehold to the ground first.

"I don't know why anyone would buy the club without also buying the freehold."

Noades has also admitted he wanted former Birmingham City owner David Gold to buy the club after he was strongly linked with takeover.

That looks unlikely now though with Gold understood to have turned his to attentions Palace's south London rivals Charlton Athletic.

"I was rather hoping David Gold was going to buy it," said Noades.

"But I understand he was at Charlton on Saturday which is a shame as I think Palace are a better prospect than Charlton Athletic."