I did actually answer that earlier. Fonte's leaving could simply have been used to stop another transfer going through assuming that was a factor. Regardless, let's flip it. Is the situation resolved now? No. Should it have been? Yes. Surely a sensible chap like you can see that viewpoint just as easily as your own. Fonte, purely because he IS Fonte, is a special case and one we have not handled well at all.
What do you mean, us letting Fonte go in the last two weeks of the window could have stopped what transfer? Mane, Wanyama? Van Dijk this summer/summer after?
Unless I've missed something your solution to our problem of our captain and club legend wanting a transfer (And to a select few clubs, not just wanting to leave full stop) is just to have actively tried to sell him, meaning selling him for a poor price to whomever takes him. Surely you can see that is not a solution to any of our problems, given the whole battle over our image as a 'selling club'. How does that
stop any transfers rather than completely undermine our bargaining power with players and clubs? The only possible upside to that mad powerplay is Fonte and Mendes somehow weakly buckling and accepting a new contract.
The (realistic) options I can see are:
Refuse to let him leave, no contract offer.
Refuse to let him leave, club-friendly contract offer.
Refuse to let him leave, player-friendly contract offer.
Set his price where we want it for anyone to match, same three contract variables.
Set his price where we want for non-PL to match, same three contract variables.
Set his price for anyone/non-PL, accept only on condition of acquiring a replacement we want, same contract variables.
Actively try and sell him.
Can't think of any more, release him I guess?
All have various pros/cons and branching possible outcomes, none are ideal because the bottom line is the only outcome we want is him accepting a new contract, or his current one I suppose. Once that isn't possible then it's just a matter of working for the best case scenario, which we have tried to do (and possibly succeeded, who knows?).
So basically I think your equation is incomplete. Is the situation resolved now? No. Should it have been? Yes. Could it have been? No. (Unless said resolution is the nuclear option)