It was the news no Swansea City fan wanted to hear and it would seem to signal the beginning of the endgame when it comes to Everton's pursuit of Gylfi Sigurdsson.
The Iceland international's decision to opt out of the club's pre-season tour of the US came out of the blue, and caught Paul Clement and the Swans by surprise given the 27-year-old had featured - and skippered the side - in the second half of Wednesday night's friendly defeat at Barnet.
Allied with Everton's £40million offer - which has been rejected - it has supporters fearing an end to Sigurdsson's second spell at the Liberty is nigh.
But is it as cut and dried as that?
Here, we take a look at some of the key questions.
Why has Sigurdsson asked to miss the tour, and does it mean he is leaving?
The official reason is that Sigurdsson did not feel in the right frame of mind to travel to the United States because of the ongoing uncertainty around his future.
Sigurdsson was heavily linked with a Liberty exit in each of the last two transfer windows, and speculation over a move this summer was widespread even before last season had come to an end.
At face value, that explanation suggests Sigurdsson does not want to leave, but just needs to get himself mentally right before returning to the fold.
The reality is different. Sigurdsson's decision to opt out of the pre-season tour at such a late stage was effectively a refusal to do what his employers wanted him to do. Clement and Swansea wanted him on the flight to America and were surprised by the player's actions.
Once such a situation unfolds it is relatively rare for it to right itself with the player remaining where he is. Sigurdsson has signalled his desire to leave.
Have Swansea accepted a bid for him?
No, they have not. The Swans had rejected a £40million offer from Leicester, and an offer of the same value from Everton has now also been turned down.
Until a fee is agreed and a bid accepted, Sigurdsson will be going nowhere. He has three years remaining on his contract, so it is not as though Swansea are under any pressure to sell him.
The Welsh club recently slapped a £50million figure on Sigurdsson's head and they appear determined to hold out for something in that region.
But Everton will come back with a new offer won't they?
They surely will. In fact, they will have to, because their latest offer has been rejected. There are suggestions Everton may be ready to return with a £45million offer with add-ons making the deal worth up to £50million.
It remains to be seen whether such an offer would be considered good enough by Swansea, but, as it stands, if Everton want him they are going to need to make another offer.
The ball is in their court, but you would expect them to return with another offer and it does appear both sides now consider a deal to be close.
The bottom line is Everton want Sigurdsson. They did not expect to pay this much to land him, but they are clearly prepared to do what is necessary to take Sigurdsson to Goodison Park.
What about Leicester then?
The deposed Premier League champions have also been long-term admirers of Sigurdsson. Steve Walsh, the Foxes former transfer guru who is now at Everton, is known to be a big admirer of Sigurdsson and kicked off the Foxes efforts to sign the midfielder.
Their desire to acquire Sigurdsson has outlived Walsh's time at the King Power Stadium and they have shown that with their own £40million offer.
But Swansea are thought to be reluctant to sell to a team they consider to be at their level in the Premier League, and it is thought that Sigurdsson has indicated he is not keen on a move to the East Midlands.
But what is the most likely outcome?
There is said to be a growing confidence at Everton that they will get their man, ally that to Sigurdsson's withdrawal from the tour and a move to Everton is an increasingly likely outcome.
If Everton can match Swansea's valuation, in whatever form that may take, you would fancy the transfer will actually come together quickly.
Everton are said to want Sigurdsson to be signed in time to play a part in their own pre-season preparations in Holland. That camp starts next week.
It's also worth remembering that Everton's season starts early with their involvement in the Europa League kicking off on July 27, hence why they have done so much business early in the summer.
Swansea will not want this saga hanging over them either, they will not want to start the Premier League season unsure of whether Sigurdsson will leave.
If he is to go, they will want to be able to have the time to try and replace him. That will be a difficult enough task as it is, let alone if it were left until the closing stages of the window.
Having dragged on for some time, this is one drawn-out pursuit that may end up coming to an end reasonably quickly.
