Lionel Messi has reached an agreement in principle to become the new owner of Spanish second-division club CD Eldense. The 39-year-old Inter Miami forward is close to buying 100% of the shares held by Colombian investment group TH Soluciones Group S.A.S., Eldense's current majority shareholder.
The agreement is significant, but the takeover is not complete. Eldense told Reuters that the transaction still requires due diligence, final legal and contractual work, and mandatory authorisation from Spain's High Council for Sports, known as the CSD. The club has not announced a fixed completion date or a purchase price.
If approved, Eldense would become the second Spanish club in Messi's ownership portfolio after he bought UE Cornellà in April 2026. It would also mark his first move into ownership at Spain's fully professional second-tier level.
Has Lionel Messi officially bought CD Eldense?
Not yet. Messi and the existing owners have an agreement in principle, which means they have accepted the main outline of a deal. Ownership changes only after the parties complete the remaining checks, sign the final documents and receive regulatory approval.
The distinction is important because some early headlines describe Messi as if he already controls the club. Eldense's statement says the process remains conditional. Due diligence allows the buyer and advisers to examine finances, liabilities, contracts and other risks before closing.
The CSD must also authorise the transaction under Spanish sports rules. A deal can therefore be advanced and mutually agreed while still not legally complete. Until the club announces closing, TH Soluciones remains the current majority shareholder.
How much of Eldense is Messi buying?
Reuters reported that Messi is close to purchasing 100% of the shares held by TH Soluciones Group. Eldense described him as its prospective new owner, while other reports referred to him as the future majority shareholder.
Those descriptions do not establish a public valuation. Neither Eldense nor Messi's representatives disclosed the price, financing structure or whether any minority shareholder will remain after closing. Claims circulating online about a specific purchase amount should be treated as unconfirmed unless the club, a filing or an authorised representative publishes it.
The deal is presented as Messi's personal ownership move, not an Inter Miami acquisition. His playing relationship with the MLS club and his investment in Spanish football are separate arrangements.
Who currently owns CD Eldense?
TH Soluciones Group, a Colombian investment organisation, took control of Eldense in October 2025. The proposed transaction would transfer its shares to Messi after the remaining conditions are met.
Eldense are based in Elda in Spain's Alicante province. Founded in 1921, the club spent much of its history outside the country's top two divisions before a modern revival took it back to the Segunda División. It has competed in the second tier during three of the past four seasons.
The 2026-27 campaign has started poorly. Eldense were 20th in the Segunda standings when the agreement was announced. The immediate football challenge is therefore survival and stability, not a rapid push into La Liga.
Why is Messi buying Eldense?
Messi has not published a detailed business plan for the club. The available facts suggest a broader transition from player to football owner. He already acquired full control of UE Cornellà, a Catalan club in Spain's fifth tier, on April 16, 2026.
He is also expected to receive a stake in Inter Miami after his playing contract ends. That arrangement would give him an ownership connection in Major League Soccer, while Cornellà and Eldense create a base in the Spanish system where he spent most of his senior career with Barcelona.
Owning clubs at different competitive levels could support player development, recruitment and shared commercial knowledge, but no formal multi-club network has been announced. It would be speculation to assume players will automatically move between Cornellà, Eldense and Inter Miami.
Will Messi still play for Inter Miami?
The Eldense agreement does not announce an immediate end to Messi's club career. He remains an Inter Miami player. His expected future stake in the MLS club is tied to the expiry of his playing contract, according to Reuters.
Messi has retired from international football with Argentina, but that decision is separate from his club future. Our full Messi retirement report explains the announcement, career record and why he continued playing for Inter Miami.
His recent form also shows that retirement from Argentina did not mean retirement from football. He scored four goals for Inter Miami against Montréal in a performance covered in our Messi four-goal match report.
Becoming a club owner while still playing is unusual but not prohibited by the Eldense announcement. Any conflict-of-interest questions would depend on competition rules, ownership structures and whether the clubs enter the same regulated competitions.
What could change at CD Eldense?
New ownership could bring investment in the first-team squad, academy, recruitment, training facilities and commercial operations. Messi's name would also create immediate international attention for a club with a much smaller global profile than Barcelona or Inter Miami.
None of those changes has been formally promised. There is no confirmed new manager, sporting director, transfer budget or stadium project connected to the agreement. Supporters should separate the publicity value of Messi's involvement from the operational plan that will emerge only after closing.
The club's league position makes short-term decision-making important. A new owner may inherit a relegation fight, existing player contracts and a financial plan built by the current shareholder. Sustainable improvement would require more than celebrity ownership.
Could Messi rename or relocate Eldense?
There is no announcement that Messi plans to rename or relocate CD Eldense. The club's identity is tied to Elda, and the public statement describes a change of shareholder rather than a change of city or brand.
Football ownership transactions in Spain remain subject to league, federation and government oversight. Any major structural change would involve additional rules and approvals beyond the share purchase itself.
Viral claims that Eldense will become an Inter Miami-style franchise, use Barcelona colours or serve only as a feeder club are not supported by the announcement. Those ideas may attract social engagement, but they are not verified facts.
What does the takeover mean for Spanish football?
Messi's agreement continues a trend of elite players investing in clubs before or shortly after retirement. Club ownership can extend an athlete's influence beyond the pitch and provide a long-term business role inside the sport.
For Spain's second division, the deal brings unusual worldwide attention. Eldense's matches, transfer activity and commercial partnerships could reach audiences that previously followed the club only locally. That attention can increase revenue, but it also raises expectations quickly.
The transaction may be especially meaningful because Messi's professional identity was formed in Spain. He joined Barcelona as a teenager, became the club's record scorer and won the majority of his major club honours there. Owning a Spanish professional club would create a new relationship with the country's football system after his playing departure in 2021.
What happens next in the Eldense deal?
Four steps remain central: financial and legal due diligence, completion of final contracts, CSD authorisation and a formal closing announcement. Eldense has not committed to a date, even though Spanish reports suggested the process could move quickly.
After completion, supporters will look for Messi's ownership structure, the composition of the board and the sporting plan. Transfer decisions and executive appointments will provide more evidence about his ambitions than early takeover speculation.
Until those steps are complete, the accurate position is that Messi has agreed in principle to buy the current majority shareholder's stake. He is poised to own Eldense, but he has not yet completed an unconditional takeover.
Sources: Reuters report confirming the agreement, Reuters report on the negotiations, and CD Eldense's statement as reported by Al Jazeera.
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