Messi reaches agreement to buy Eldense

Lionel Messi reaches agreement in principle to take full ownership of Eldense

Lionel Messi has reached an agreement in principle to acquire 100 percent of Spanish club Eldense, according to reports in Spain, in what would become the latest step in the Argentine star growing involvement in football club ownership. The Segunda División side are based in Elda, a town to the west of Alicante, and play their home matches at the Estadio Pepico Amat. The location is also relatively close to Catalonia, where Messi is reportedly planning to live again after the end of his playing career.

The potential takeover comes at an important moment for Eldense, who are adapting to life in the second tier after winning promotion from the Primera Federación last season. Their return to the Segunda División has not started smoothly, with the club collecting just two points from their opening four matches and dropping to 20th place in the table. The poor start has already led to a change in the dugout, with head coach Claudio Baragan dismissed on Monday.

Against that sporting backdrop, the possibility of Messi becoming the sole owner of the club immediately transforms the wider conversation around Eldense. According to Spanish media, the former Barcelona star has reached a preliminary agreement with the current shareholders to buy the entire club rather than taking only a minority position. If the deal is completed on the terms being reported, Messi would therefore have full control of Eldense.

Agreement would give Messi complete control of the club

The reported structure of the transaction is particularly notable because it involves the acquisition of 100 percent of the shares. That would make Messi the outright owner and place responsibility for the long-term direction of the club under his ownership group once all formalities are completed.

No final announcement has yet been made, but an agreement in principle normally represents a significant stage in negotiations. The next steps would be expected to involve completion of the necessary legal, financial and administrative procedures before ownership can officially change hands.

For Eldense, the arrival of one of the most famous footballers in history as owner would immediately increase the profile of a club that has spent much of its history outside the highest levels of Spanish football. The club is currently competing in the Segunda División after an impressive promotion campaign, but its difficult start to the new season means the sporting project is already under pressure.

That combination makes the timing of the proposed takeover particularly interesting. Messi would not be acquiring a club enjoying complete stability on the pitch. Instead, he would be entering at a moment when Eldense are trying to establish themselves at a higher level while also dealing with the consequences of a poor opening run.

Eldense struggling after promotion

Last season represented a major success for Eldense as they finished as champions of the Primera Federación, the third level of the Spanish football pyramid. Promotion gave the club the opportunity to return to the Segunda División and compete against stronger opposition on a weekly basis.

The transition has so far proved difficult. Two points from the first four matches have left Eldense in 20th place, putting them close to the bottom of the standings during the opening weeks of the campaign.

The early results were enough for the club to act quickly, with Baragan losing his position as head coach on Monday. The dismissal demonstrated that Eldense are already under pressure to improve and avoid becoming involved in a prolonged relegation battle.

For any new owner, maintaining Segunda División status would naturally be one of the immediate priorities. The difference between competing in the second and third levels of Spanish football can have major sporting and financial consequences, making survival especially important for a club that has only recently earned promotion.

The reported Messi takeover therefore arrives at a point when long-term ambition and short-term urgency are colliding. Eldense can dream about what new ownership might mean for the future, but the current squad still needs results quickly to improve its league position.

Location could fit Messi post-career plans

The geographical position of Eldense has also attracted attention in Spain. The club is based in Elda, west of Alicante, and is considerably closer to Catalonia than many other potential investment opportunities elsewhere in Europe.

According to Marca, Messi intends to live in Catalonia again once his playing career has ended. That reported plan gives an additional context to his interest in Eldense, as ownership of a Spanish club would allow him to remain directly involved in football while being based relatively close to the region where he spent the defining years of his professional career.

Messi connection with Catalonia is obviously most closely associated with Barcelona, where he developed from a young player into one of the most successful footballers of all time. A future return to the region after retirement has therefore long appeared realistic, even if his exact plans have not yet been formally confirmed.

Owning Eldense would provide him with a very different role from the one he occupied throughout his playing career. Rather than influencing matches directly on the pitch, Messi would potentially become responsible for broader decisions involving recruitment, coaching appointments, club structure and long-term sporting development.

Not Messi first move into club ownership

Eldense would not be the first Spanish football club to come under Messi control. Earlier this year, he also acquired UE Cornellà, another club with strong links to Catalonia.

Cornellà currently compete in the Catalan Tercera Federación, the fifth tier of the Spanish system, meaning Eldense would represent a significant step up in competitive level. Ownership of a Segunda División club would give Messi a presence much closer to the top of Spanish professional football.

The two investments also suggest that the Argentine is beginning to build a broader role in football away from his playing career. Rather than waiting until retirement to become involved in ownership, Messi appears to be putting elements of that next phase in place while he is still an active player.

The contrast between the two clubs is significant. Cornellà operate much further down the pyramid, where development and long-term growth are likely to be central priorities. Eldense, by comparison, are already competing in a fully professional national division and face the immediate challenge of remaining there.

If both projects continue under Messi ownership, they could eventually provide him with experience across different levels of Spanish football and create opportunities for wider cooperation. For now, however, no specific relationship between the two clubs has been announced.

Floris Smand among players who could come under Messi ownership

The potential takeover would also mean that Dutch defender Floris Smand becomes one of the players contracted to a club owned by Messi. Smand is currently part of the Eldense squad and would therefore be directly affected by any changes to the sporting structure once the deal is completed.

For the playing group as a whole, the immediate focus will remain on improving results. Ownership negotiations may create excitement around the club, but Eldense still have to deal with a difficult start and the uncertainty created by the dismissal of their head coach.

The next coaching appointment will therefore be one of the most important short-term decisions surrounding the club. Whether that choice is made entirely by the current ownership or with input from Messi representatives may depend on how quickly the takeover progresses.

Given the timing, the potential change in ownership could influence decisions that normally shape an entire season. The appointment of a new coach, possible future recruitment and the broader direction of the sporting project could all become connected to the expected arrival of Messi as owner.

A very different challenge for Messi

Moving into football ownership represents a different type of challenge for a player whose entire career has been measured through performances, goals and trophies. Success as an owner requires patience and decision-making in areas far removed from what happens during 90 minutes on the pitch.

Messi reputation would immediately give Eldense international attention, but that alone would not guarantee sporting success. The club would still need a coherent recruitment strategy, stable management and a sustainable financial structure if it wants to consolidate its position in the Segunda División and potentially aim higher in the future.

The attraction of acquiring a club such as Eldense may lie partly in that potential. The club has already demonstrated its capacity to progress by winning the Primera Federación and earning promotion, but it remains small enough for new ownership to have a visible influence on its development.

There is also a clear distinction between buying an established top-flight giant and taking control of a club with room to grow. At Eldense, Messi would have the possibility of shaping the project more directly and potentially building an identity over several seasons rather than inheriting a structure already defined by decades of elite-level expectations.

Promotion success followed by immediate pressure

The contrast between last season and the beginning of the current campaign has been sharp for Eldense. Winning the Primera Federación title created optimism and gave the club an opportunity to compete at a higher level, but the first four rounds have shown how demanding that step can be.

Two points from four matches is not enough to draw definitive conclusions about an entire season, but it was sufficient to trigger a coaching change. That decision shows the club is determined to avoid allowing an early poor run to become a deeper crisis.

The next few weeks could therefore prove decisive both on and off the pitch. Eldense need to appoint a new head coach, improve their results and complete the ownership transition if the agreement with Messi progresses as expected.

Those processes may overlap, creating a period of significant change at a club that had already experienced major sporting transformation through promotion.

Potential takeover would dramatically raise Eldense profile

Whatever happens on the pitch, Messi arrival as owner would immediately make Eldense far more visible internationally. A club based in Elda and competing in the Spanish second tier would suddenly become connected to one of the most recognisable figures in global sport.

That attention could create commercial opportunities, increase interest from sponsors and attract players who might previously have viewed Eldense differently. It could also bring additional expectations, with every major decision likely to receive greater media scrutiny.

Managing that increased attention would become part of the challenge. Eldense would still be a Segunda División club operating in a competitive environment, and the fundamentals of building a successful football project would remain unchanged regardless of the identity of the owner.

Messi experience as a player could nevertheless provide a unique perspective. Few prospective owners understand elite football from inside the dressing room as deeply as someone who has spent his career at the highest level.

Deal still awaiting completion

For now, the key point is that the agreement is reported to be in principle rather than fully completed. Messi and the current Eldense owners are said to have reached terms for the transfer of all shares, but the process still has to be formally concluded.

Until that happens, the existing ownership structure remains in place and the club must continue dealing with its immediate sporting challenges.

If the transaction is finalised, however, it would represent a significant development in Messi transition towards life beyond playing football. The Argentine would control two Spanish clubs at different levels of the pyramid, with Eldense becoming by far the higher-profile project.

The timing is also significant because Messi does not appear to be waiting until retirement to prepare for what comes next. His reported acquisition of Cornellà earlier in the year and now the agreement for Eldense suggest that club ownership could become an important part of his long-term involvement in the game.

For Eldense, the potential arrival of Messi comes at a moment of both opportunity and uncertainty. The club are Segunda División newcomers after winning promotion last season, but they have started poorly, sit 20th and are searching for a new head coach.

Completing a takeover by one of football biggest names would dramatically change the environment around the club, but the first challenge would remain straightforward: stabilise the team, improve results and make sure the promotion achieved last season is not immediately lost.

If the agreement is completed, Messi will enter club ownership at a level where the sporting decisions have immediate consequences. Eldense have ambitions created by their promotion but problems created by their opening results, giving their prospective new owner a project with both considerable potential and urgent work to be done.