Lionel Messi Reaches In-Principle Agreement to Acquire Spanish Club Eldense

Lionel Messi is reportedly close to acquiring a Spanish football club. According to a report published on Tuesday by Marca, the Argentine star has reached an in-principle agreement to purchase CD Eldense, a club from the town of Elda in the Alicante province that was recently promoted to the Spanish Segunda División. If the deal goes through, Messi will become the sole owner of the club.

According to the report, Messi intends to acquire 100% of the club's shares without any additional partners. Understandings with the current owners have already been reached, but the transaction still requires due diligence, the completion of legal and contractual details, and approval from Spain's National Sports Council. If everything proceeds smoothly, the deal could be finalized in the coming days.

This is not Messi's first investment in Spanish football. Earlier this year, he acquired Catalan club UE Cornellà from the fifth tier, and he is now taking a more significant step into professional Spanish football as an owner. Marca explained that his desire is to keep a portion of his wealth invested within the world of football as he prepares for the day he retires from active play.

Eldense returned to the Segunda División this season, but has made a very poor start, collecting only two points from its first four matches. On Monday, the club dismissed head coach Claudio Barragán, who became the first managerial casualty of the season in the Spanish second tier, and a replacement has not yet been appointed.

The club is currently owned by an international investment group with Colombian roots, led by businessman Juan Carlos Trujillo. In recent months, Argentine businessman Ricardo Pini was also mentioned as a candidate to buy Eldense for an estimated sum of around 12 million euros, but Messi is now poised to complete the acquisition.