By September 2019, Thomas Cook Group was "the most shorted company on the London Stock Exchange," and reports began to emerge that the company was "in last minute negotiations" with bondholders, in order to approve the Fosun takeover. Less than a week later, Thomas Cook asked HM Government to fund a £200 million gap in the company's finances to prevent the firm falling into administration. The company had by that point secured £900m in funding as part of a debt-for-equity swap, including £450m from Fosun.