As of Friday night, Manchester United have still not received a Qatari bid for the club despite sources claiming it is expected very soon.
Those highest in the Red Devils hierachy were thought to have been of the belief that a bid from Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad al-Thani would have been submitted before the end of the day on Friday. However, the offer never arrived in the US, where merchant bank the Raine Group are overseeing the sale process.
According to recent reports the lack of communication from United's Qatari suitors is not too much of a cause for concern and the bid is still expected to be submitted soon enough once every detail has been refined, tweaked and perfected.
Raine had actually offered potential buyers an extended window to submit all offers after the initial 'soft' deadline that came and went last Wednesday night. With that being said, this latest delay is unlikely to paint the Qatari offer in a particularly positive light.
In contrast, the opposing group of buyers, spearheaded by Ineos founder and OGC Nice owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe, are reported to have lodged their proposal on Thursday night.
Current owners the Glazers have been clear on what price would tempt them into a full-scale sale, but the £6billion asking price is viewed as a potential deterrent to buyers by some from within the club. Some consider that astronomical asking price as particularly optimistic.
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It has since been reported that Sheikh Jassim is playing some kind of mind game with the Glazers as he lodges bids for the club on his own time and ignoring deadlines set by Raine.
He is expected to lodge his offer before the end of the weekend and clearly has no issue with making the Glazers and the United faithful as a collective wait with baited breath.
The entire saga is beginning to feel like a game of bluff, with some suitors fearful that the Glazers won't actually sell at all.
For all of Sheikh Jassim's delayed negotiations, it is widely believed that the Glazer family view him as the candidate most likely to actually meet the Americans asking price of £6bn, a world record-fee.
There is a mounting fear among the United faithful that the involvement US hedge fund Elliott Management could spell bad news for those who want the Glazers out. Their involvement and potential cash injection would help the owners remain in their respective current roles.
This is a development that would almost certainly spark outrage among the Old Trafford faithful who lost patience in the Glazers some time ago.
