"i dont think any scenario involving a buy-out/off-take is even remotely "likely" at this stage."

I suspect market action hints otherwise. There is also clearly enough data at this point for an offer to have already been made. EAs comment that he "doesn't expect to be around next year" was based on his own sense of what they had and who he'd already been talking with. Bye the bye, we are weeks away from that time of year he expected to not be around in.