Dundee fans face an anxious wait until next week before discovering whether Calum Melville has put his money where his mouth is following his £200,000 pledge to the club.
The businessman made his promise on Wednesday to help the Dark Blues pay an outstanding £365,000 tax bill and stave off administration.
The cash is needed to allow club negotiator Blair Nimmo to begin talks with Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs to try to reach an agreement over repayments.
Former Dundee chairman Bob Brannan was given assurances by Melville who is believed to be competing in the Chicago Marathon this weekend that, although it is a complicated transfer, the money will be forthcoming.
However the situation remains unclear after it is understood the club’s directors held a meeting at a secret location on Thursday.
Grim-faced Dundee chief executive Harry MacLean returned to Dens early in the afternoon and issued a terse, “No comment today,” before entering the stadium through a side exit.
Doubt now persists over exactly where the Dark Blues stand in their fight for survival.
MacLean and fellow director Jim Thomson had met inside Dens on Wednesday with around 250 fans who had gathered. They attempted to clarify the situation for supporters but more questions than answers remain.
Dundee’s players, who did not receive their salaries as expected last week, were finally paid half of their wages on Wednesday.
The squad are liaising with players’ union chief executive Fraser Wishart but are no closer to finding out when they will receive the rest of their money.
This week manager Gordon Chisholm said some of the team who live in Glasgow and Edinburgh were insisting they could not afford to travel to Dundee for training.
However, Chisholm revealed on Thursday there was a full attendance from the players at their training base in the city.
“All the boys turned up as expected,” said the Dark Blues boss. “I had to tell them that I still do not know when they will receive the rest of their wages.
“But we had a good training session and the lads were very professional. They now have the weekend off as planned because of the international break.”
Meanwhile, former Dundee full-back Eddie Malone has claimed medical bills went unpaid last season, leaving players facing demands from debt-collection agencies.
He said, “We were always paid on time when I was there. But a couple of the boys who had injuries and needed private healthcare operations got bills through their doors.
“The players were coming into the club with the bills and being told not to worry about it but then a month down the line they received final demands from debt collectors.”