Lionel Messi has reached a preliminary agreement to acquire Eldense, a Spanish second-division club, ESPN reported on Tuesday, citing a source familiar with the negotiations.
The agreement still depends on due diligence checks and approval from Spain’s National Sports Council before it can be finalised.
Eldense are currently owned by Colombian investment group Grupo TH, which also holds football clubs in Colombia and Switzerland.
If completed, the deal would give Messi ownership of a second Spanish club, following his April 2026 purchase of Cornellà, a fifth-tier, Barcelona-based side whose alumni include Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya and Messi’s former Barcelona teammate Jordi Alba.
Unlike Cornellà, which remains semi-professional, Eldense would mark Messi’s first ownership stake in a fully professional Spanish club.
The 39-year-old forward, who currently plays for Inter Miami, also holds a partial stake in Uruguayan side Deportivo LSM alongside former Barcelona and Uruguay teammate Luis Suárez.
With three divisions separating Eldense and Cornellà, simultaneous ownership of both clubs is not expected to raise regulatory concerns for now, although the Royal Spanish Football Federation would likely block Messi from holding majority stakes in two clubs competing in the same division.
Founded in 1921, Eldense have spent most of their history outside Spain’s top two tiers. They returned to the second division in 2023 — their first appearance there since 1964 — before being relegated in 2025 and winning promotion back this past summer.
The club have endured a rocky start to the new season, going winless in their opening four matches, a run that cost coach Claudio Barragán his job earlier this week. Eldense are now searching for a new manager and play their home matches at the 5,776-capacity Nuevo Pepico Amat stadium in Elda.
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