YORK City Knights are lining up an audacious bid for controversial Super League star Paul Cooke.

The club have kept their cards close to their chest, but The Press believes they have tried to contact the 29-year-old playmaker to discuss the chances of his moving to the Championship new boys.

The Knights are known to be after another half-back and back-rower, as well as more experience of higher tier rugby league, and Cooke – who plays stand-off or loose-forward – would tick all those boxes.

He has played 287 Super League games in his 11-year professional career, including 204 for Hull before making a highly controversial cross-city move to arch-rivals Hull Kingston Rovers, whom he supported as a boy, in 2007.

He played 65 times for the Robins before falling out of favour with coach Justin Morgan and joining Wakefield in March this year, playing 18 times for the Belle Vue club.

He was released by the Wildcats at the end of the season, however, and is yet to be signed up.

There had been rumours on Humberside of a return to Hull but the Airlie Birds this week dismissed such speculation stating they would never have him back.

Knights general manager Ian Wilson said they had not spoken to the player – once dubbed the best player not to be capped by Great Britain.

But added Wilson: “We would be interested in anybody of that quality but at this moment in time there’s nothing more to say.”

Cooke, who scored the match-winning try in Hull’s 25-24 Challenge Cup final win over Leeds in 2005, when former Knight Danny Brough added the trophy-clinching conversion, also played in the 2006 Grand Final.

However, he has effectively admitted his Super League career hangs in the balance and, a month ago, he had not spoken to any club about 2011.

This might suggest he would be willing to listen to offers from Championship outfits.