Lionel Messi’s Proposed CD Eldense Takeover: What We Know

CD Eldense has confirmed that Lionel Messi has reached a preliminary agreement to become the club’s majority shareholder. That is a significant step, but it is not a completed takeover: the club says the transaction remains subject to due diligence, remaining legal and contractual procedures, and mandatory authorisation from Spain’s Higher Sports Council (CSD). 17

What Eldense has confirmed

The proposed transaction concerns shares currently held by Grupo TH Soluciones. Eldense’s own description is clear on the intended result: Messi would become the club’s majority shareholder once the process closes. 17

That wording matters. Reports have described Messi as buying the entirety of TH Soluciones’ holding, but the club’s confirmed public position is the preliminary agreement and the expected majority ownership outcome. The final ownership percentage, purchase price and closing date have not been publicly established in the strongest reporting available.

Why the deal is not final

A deal in principle does not transfer ownership. Eldense has identified three remaining stages:

• completion of due diligence;
• completion of legal and contractual procedures; and
• approval from the CSD. 17

Until those conditions are completed, Messi is not yet Eldense’s owner. Any timetable for a formal announcement should therefore be treated as provisional.

A second Spanish club investment for Messi

If the acquisition closes, Eldense would become Messi’s second Spanish club investment. He acquired Catalan side UE Cornellà in April 2026, and the Eldense move would take his ownership interests into Spain’s second division. 17

The distinction is important because Eldense compete at a fully professional level. The proposal would therefore represent a larger step in Messi’s football-business portfolio than his Cornellà purchase, even though the commercial terms of the Eldense deal have not been disclosed.

Eldense’s immediate sporting backdrop

The ownership story arrives during a difficult start to Eldense’s Segunda División season. The club dismissed manager Claudio Barragán after four league games in which the team recorded two draws and two defeats, for two points from a possible 12. 5

Contemporary reporting placed Eldense third from bottom after that run. 16 The coaching change and the proposed ownership change are separate matters publicly, but they have occurred in the same unsettled early-season period.

What remains unconfirmed

Several details circulating around the proposed takeover should not be treated as settled without further official disclosure. These include the exact percentage Messi would own, the price paid, the status of other potential bidders, and any wider plans involving other clubs or investments.

The reliable conclusion for now is narrower: Eldense has announced a preliminary agreement with Messi for the acquisition of TH Soluciones’ shares, a deal that would make him majority shareholder if the outstanding process and regulatory approval are completed. 17

For Eldense, the prospect is a major change in profile and ownership. For Messi, it could mark a move from owning a lower-division Catalan club to controlling a professional Spanish side—provided the transaction reaches closing.