Lionel Messi agrees deal to take full ownership of Spanish second-tier club Eldense

Lionel Messi has reached a preliminary agreement to acquire 100% of Spanish second-tier club Eldense, according to a report published on Tuesday, in a move that would strengthen his emerging position as a football businessman in Spain.

The agreement, reported by Marca, would see the Argentina forward take complete control of Eldense’s shares without the involvement of any third party. The deal would mark Messi’s entry into professional football ownership in Spain, subject to its completion and the approval of the relevant authorities.

Messi has already expanded his presence in Spanish football this year by acquiring Cornella, a club competing in the Catalan third tier. The proposed purchase of Eldense would represent a significant step up, with the club based in Elda, in the province of Alicante, and recently promoted to Segunda Division.

The club is located not far from Catalonia, where Messi plans to live after ending his playing career with Inter Miami. His business project is understood to be driven by a desire to invest the legacy he built in football back into the sport itself.

The Eldense takeover is expected to be completed within the next few days, once the final legal and contractual procedures have been concluded. Those steps include a financial due diligence process, while the transaction must also receive approval from Spain’s National Sports Council.

Eldense has been owned for some time by an international investment group with Colombian assets, led by businessman Juan Carlos Trujillo. Trujillo bought the club from Pascual Perez in October 2015.

There had also been reports in recent months that Argentine businessman Ricardo Beni was considering a takeover, with the proposed value said to be about €12m. Messi’s name has now emerged as the leading story surrounding the club’s future.

Eldense facing early-season problems

The ownership developments come as Eldense deal with a difficult start on the pitch. The club dismissed manager Claudio Barragan last Monday, making him the first head coach to lose his job in Segunda Division this season.

Eldense have collected only two points from their opening four league matches and have not yet appointed a replacement for Barragan.

If completed, the takeover would give Messi full ownership of a club competing in Spain’s professional football structure, following his earlier investment in Cornella. It would also establish a direct connection between the former Barcelona captain’s football legacy and a club operating outside the traditional elite of the Spanish game.

The developments have also prompted wider discussion among football supporters, with the subject and related news available for debate on the Kooora forums.