Leo Messi ‘to buy’ Eldense after agreement for 100% stake | OneFootball

Leo Messi has reached a preliminary agreement to take control of Deportivo Eldense, Radio Marca reports, with a deal for the 100% stake in place pending official confirmation.

TH Group, fronted by president Carolina Holguín and chief executive Juan Carlos Trujillo, has sold the Alicante club to the Inter Miami player for a sum well above that paid 11 months ago to businessman Pascual Pérez.

Holguín and Trujillo had been weighing a sale since promotion to Segunda División. An Argentine consortium led by Ricardo Pini, a lawyer close to Christian Bragarnik of Elche, also explored a purchase before Messi’s late move halted talks.

If confirmed, Eldense would be the second Spanish club bought by the Barça great this year, after Cornellá in April, who compete in the Tercera Federación, the fifth tier. Multi-ownership is permitted provided the teams do not share a division or both sit within LaLiga’s top two tiers, so no short or medium-term issue arises.

Trujillo has already posted a farewell on X, referencing the club’s slogan, “Fe en el destino”, and sharing a photo of Holguín, his wife and business partner. He wrote from Colombia, where they run Llaneros in the Primera División.

The development startled Elda. According to INFORMACIÓN, most club staff only learned of Messi’s involvement as the day unfolded through media reports. Final legal checks, including due diligence, remain, and the Consejo Superior de Deportes must approve the handover.

The Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo rivalry now shifts to the boardroom, with Messi set to be Eldense’s principal owner while Ronaldo holds a 25% stake in Almería, both operating in Segunda División.

Source: El Periódico Mediterráneo

“Artificial intelligence was used to assist in creating this article based on reporting from the original source quoted.”