Who is Garry Cook? The tycoon 'bidding' for Newcastle United takeover with American millionaires

Garry Cook is rumoured to be leading a consortium interested in buying Newcastle United - but who is he?
Garry Cook is leading a consortium to buy Newcastle UnitedGarry Cook is leading a consortium to buy Newcastle United
Garry Cook is leading a consortium to buy Newcastle United

Reports from the Sun this morning claim that Cook - a former chief executive of Manchester City - is working with a group of American millionaires to mount a takeover bid for the Magpies.

Cook's consortium are believed to be the main challengers to the deal lodged by Peter Kenyon, with reports last weekend suggesting the ex-Chelsea chief was £100million short of Mike Ashley's valuation.

Garry Cook is leading a consortium to buy Newcastle UnitedGarry Cook is leading a consortium to buy Newcastle United
Garry Cook is leading a consortium to buy Newcastle United
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That means a door could open for Cook - but who is the man reportedly looking to bid for Newcastle United?

Here's everything you need to know about him:

Where has he worked before?

Cook has a long-standing history in football, most notably at Manchester City where he held the role of chief executive for over three years.

Appointed in 2008, Cook was responsible for player recruitment for large parts of his time with the Citizens and helped attract the likes of Vincent Kompany, Carlos Tevez and Robinho to the club.

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After helping City transform themselves into genuine title contenders, Cook resigned in September 2011 following insensitive email allegations towards a player's mother.

Prior to working in football, Cook has been involved in the sportswear industry and he has since gone on to represent several other sporting brands - most notably, UFC.

Has he previously been involved in football takeovers?

Yes - Cook recently helped to broker a takeover of Championship side Wigan Athletic.

That deal - worth £22million - saw the International Entertainment Corporation take control of the club and it's assets, meaning Cook is well-versed in the takeover rules and regulations and knows how to ensure a deal gets done.

What kind of business connections does he have?

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Cook will have strong connections in various industries, especially in the United States.

He spent the early parts of his career working with Nike - where he led on 'Project Jordan', which saw the firm team-up with NBA star Michael Jordan to produce a line of sportswear.

Such experiences will give him a wide range of contacts, as too will his more recent work with e-sporting groups overseas.

What is he worth?

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Little is known about Cook's own value, but it is likely to not be enough to mount a takeover on his own - hence why a consortium of investors seems to be involved.

Who is in the consortium he is leading?

Again, there is little information on the consortium of wealthy individuals fronted by Cook.

The Sun suggest that they are based in America but, similarly to Kenyon's deal, there are no concrete names of who may be involved.

Does he know Mike Ashley?

Yes - it is believed that the pair will know eachother from Cook's time working with Nike, given Ashley's retail interests.

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Today's reports suggest that this could give Cook 'an in' with Ashley, and something of an advantage over Kenyon.

What do we know about his interest in Newcastle so far?

There is little detail on the deal Cook is leading, other than the fact he is assembling a consortium to bid for the club.

The Sun claim that he has assembled his team of investors ahead of mounting a bid.