I thought the possible 'purchase' was the one mentioned last year and that because Longmint had not paid as agreed - an amount by a certain date [no surprise there then] - the seller told them to get lost and pulled out of the deal. If this is correct then this 'rumor' is in fact old news. The pulling out is not though.
As for re mortgaging or other finance, not too sure there is anyone out there stupid enough to entertain them. But in the end it won't make much difference to the inevitable. Just a minor delay.