I read some of the article and it does sound a bit sensationalist. Did the plans really include the a list of 'hostile' parties to the plan or is it actually a list of stakeholders? Quite an easy twist to make when you do not need to provide a picture of said plans, and one not at all surprising for a newspaper.
I trust the media as much as anything else, which is not far. In the end, an announcement of a decision has not been made and, until it is, then the decision is still up in the air. What if Manchester United come out tomorrow and say he will never play for the club? I guess people will assume that they changed their mind due to public reception, but that may not be the case at all. It is better to wait for a real announcement before getting mad over something that may never happen.
Besides, depending on what was written in the contract, it may be a more complicated issue to deal with than people believe.