MADRID, Spain — Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi has reached a preliminary agreement to take over Spanish second-tier football club Eldense.
ESPN reported on Tuesday, September 8, 2026, citing an unnamed source, that the potential acquisition remains subject to the completion of due diligence and official approval from Spain’s National Sports Council. Okay News reports that Messi reached the preliminary agreement to acquire the Elda-based club following its recent managerial change.
Eldense are currently owned by Colombian investment group Grupo TH, which maintains ownership stakes in football clubs across Colombia and Switzerland. If approved by regulatory authorities, the club would become the second Spanish team owned by Messi, following his acquisition of fifth-tier Barcelona-based side Cornella in April 2026.
Because Cornella operates as a semi-professional side, Eldense would represent Messi’s first investment in a professional football club in Spain. The 39-year-old forward is also partially involved in Uruguayan club Deportivo LSM alongside his Inter Miami teammate Luis Suárez.
Eldense and Cornella currently compete three divisions apart from one another. While current league structures permit separate investments across different tiers, the Royal Spanish Football Federation is unlikely to allow both clubs to compete in the same division should Messi maintain majority ownership of both entities.
Founded in 1921, Eldense plays its home matches at the 5,776-capacity Nuevo Pepico Amat stadium in Elda. The club returned to the second division in 2023 for the first time since 1964, suffered relegation in 2025, and earned promotion back to the second tier in the summer of 2026.
The club remains without a manager following the dismissal of coach Claudio Barragán earlier this week. Eldense has failed to win any of its four opening matches in the current season.
