Newcastle United's takeover saga has been the subject of a House in Commons debate this morning.
Premier League chief Richard Masters has been quizzed by the Culture Select Committee on where the takeover currently stands as it stretches into a 14th week since the start of the owner's and director's tests began.
Supporters have now started a petition for answers from Masters with thousands signing up in the last 24 hours.
But when asked by MP Julie Elliot, Masters said today: "I do appreciate that uncertainty, I cannot comment in terms of timing or the specifics on any particular takeover but in a perfect world, takeovers would happen cleanly, clearly and in a timely fashion.
"Sometimes, things get complicated.
"When they drag on, sometimes there's a requirement for information.
"It's a relatively rare occurrence.
"I think it's very difficult to keep a constant dialogue with fans about what's an entirely confidential process.
"We can't provide a running commentary on things and, as I said, I just can't talk about the specifics of this particular process."
Masters was also asked about piracy in Saudi Arabia - something which many feel is holding up the deal - and he said: "BeoutQ is now off the air, and what we want, off the back of the WTO report, is for Saudi Arabia to respond positively the situation and to allow sports rights-holders to take their rights."
When Masters was asked how long it would take to conclude, he responded: "Shortly".
