When it comes to the Manchester United takeover there isn't really a void that needs speculation to fill it, but such is the drama around this soap opera that it's all anyone can talk about, especially during a two-week gap when club football has taken a backseat.
The chaos and the confusion around what comes next at Old Trafford is playing out in public but four months after the Glazer family put the club on the market, the end game is still unclear. Every move, every twist and every turn is analysed for clues.
What seems clear is that none of the bidders are going to reach the £6bn asking price the Glazers have put on the club, but for how much longer can they drag the process out? Is this Raine attempting to "hustle" for the Glazers, as one source put it? Playing on the ego of Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al-Thani and Sir Jim Ratcliffe and trying to flush out any other potential bidders.
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Or is the very public process an attempt to show just how valuable this club is a message to financiers that they should consider offering attractive rates to the Glazers, who decide their value isn't met and stay in charge, seeking minority investment instead.
All of those options are being put forward by industry insiders, but it is something of a guessing game at the moment. The Glazers have left this process open-ended and that is why we have bids to buy the club and offers to invest. Nothing is off the table.
But for how much longer can the status quo persist? The next stage would, theoretically, be for Sheikh Jassim or Ratcliffe to be given preferred bidder status. That would allow an even deeper dive into the books but there's no guarantee a sale would go through from there, although it would certainly be the likeliest outcome at that stage.
United are approaching the point where clarity is required, however. The season has just over two months to run and we are at a juncture where transfer plans for the summer are being finalised. Investment in the transfer window will be forthcoming whoever is in charge, but if a sale is going through in June and July it could feasibly affect the flow of cash and the speed at which decisions are signed off.
There are also contract renewals to do at a time of uncertainty around the club. David de Gea's current deal expires in three months and although Marcus Rashford's is up next season, United need a show of commitment before the summer really, otherwise they will be risking losing him for nothing. Rashford, certainly, could be waiting to see what the future brings for the club.
The other issue for United is that now the takeover has progressed, it is taking up more time for key staff on the ground at Old Trafford. When the Glazers put the club on the market there was little impact in Manchester, but that is no longer the case. Working hours are being drawn away from the running of the club towards the takeover, understandably.
Erik ten Hag was asked about the takeover in his press conference before the Fulham fixture last week but positioned himself as focusing solely on the football.
"Others in the club are dealing with potential investors. My job in this moment is focus on the game," he said.
That is easy for Ten Hag at the moment, he has enough games to focus on. The risk is that he becomes frustrated if the process impacts his plans for the summer. Those who worked closely with Ten Hag in his first transfer window at the club described a demanding figure who wanted things to get done. If the takeover saga has any impact on that, then he might not be so relaxed about what comes next.
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