Argentina football great Lionel Messi is set to become majority owner of Spanish second-division club CD Eldense, Spanish sports daily AS reported late on Tuesday.
AS said that the 2022 World Cup winner had reached a basic agreement with Colombian investment group TH to take over 100% of the shares. The deal is still subject to the mandatory approval of Spain’s Higher Sports Council (CSD).
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If the purchase goes through, it would be Messi’s first time owning a professional club in Spain. The 39-year-old, who is playing his fourth season with Inter Miami in Major League Soccer in the US, already owns fifth-tier club UE Cornella.
Elda’s mayor Rubén Alfaro said: “We only received confirmation this evening that a basic agreement is in place. At this stage, however, we must exercise the restraint required in such situations and wait to see whether the deal actually goes through.”
He added: “In any case, we should once again be proud of our city and the football club that represents us. That someone like Leo Messi is interested in us and would like to support both the club and Elda is spectacular news.”
CD Eldense have just been promoted to the Segunda División and are third from bottom after four matchdays. The stadium in the city of 55,000 has a capacity of 5,800.
Messi announced his retirement from Argentina duty last week.
