Messi's legal representatives have spent months negotiating with Grupo TH, the Colombian investment group led by Juan Carlos Trujillo that bought Eldense from Pascual Pérez roughly a year ago, and the two sides reached a definitive preliminary agreement on Monday evening.
The deal still needs to clear a due diligence process and receive approval from Spain's Consejo Superior de Deportes before it can be finalised, with an announcement expected within days.
The move would mark the first time the Argentine has taken ownership of a fully professional Spanish club, following his earlier purchase of fifth-tier Catalan side UE Cornellà. Unlike that deal, the Eldense takeover would be a solo investment with no partners or former players involved, according to reports in the Spanish press.
Eldense, based in the Alicante town of Elda and playing in blue and garnet colours reminiscent of Barcelona, have around 3,500 season-ticket holders in a city of just over 55,000 people, and their Nuevo Pepico Amat stadium holds only 5,800 spectators, a capacity that could quickly look inadequate given the international attention Messi's involvement would bring.
The club find themselves in a difficult moment on the pitch, having sacked head coach Claudio Barragán this week after four winless matches to start the season, leaving them without a manager as takeover talks progressed.
Eldense returned to the second tier this summer having been promoted for the first time since 1964 in 2023, before an immediate relegation in 2025. Reports also suggested Argentine investor Ricardo Pini had separately proposed a €12 million bid to buy the club before Messi's involvement emerged and reshaped the negotiations entirely.
Elda mayor Rubén Alfaro welcomed the news while urging caution until the deal is finalised.
"This evening we were confirmed that there is already a preliminary agreement. But at this moment we must show the caution these situations require and wait to see if the deal is ultimately completed," he said.
"In any case, we should feel proud once again of our city and the football club that represents us, because the fact that a figure like Leo Messi has taken notice of us and intends to invest in the club and in Elda is, obviously, spectacular news."
He added: "We are going to respect the timing of the negotiation and the confidentiality these processes require before offering a fuller assessment. But we are very happy, truthfully."
Messi also holds a stake in Uruguayan club Deportivo LSM alongside Inter Miami team-mate Luis Suárez, meaning the Eldense deal would extend an ownership portfolio the Argentine has been steadily building since moving into the latter stages of his playing career at Inter Miami.