The Panini Group, a family-owned sports cards and collectibles company, is in talks to merge with Slam Corp., a blank-check company established by Alex Rodriguez. The combined entity is valued at $3 billion or more, according to Bloomberg. 

Panini was reportedly weighing a potential sale and attracted interest from private equity firms. 

The Italian brand, which generated more than $1 billion in sales in 2018, is also known for its FIFA World Cup stickers.

Slam is just one part of a growing list of business ventures for Rodriguez.

• A-Rod Corp. has a portfolio of more than 30 companies and over $1 billion worth of real estate.
• Rodriguez and tech entrepreneur Marc Lore reached an agreement in May to purchase the NBA’s Minnesota Timberwolves and WNBA’s Minnesota Lynx in a deal worth $1.5 billion.

Panini reached a licensing agreement with the UFC in January to become the mixed martial arts promotion’s official trading card partner. 

The company also holds licensing deals with the NFL, NBA, FIFA, Disney, and Epic Games.

The world’s second-highest-paid athlete is taking a major pay cut.

Lionel Messi has reportedly reached an agreement with Barcelona on a new, five-year contract following the expiration of his previous four-year, $674 million deal. 

While the exact amount of Messi’s new contract is not yet known, Goal reports that Messi agreed to halve his yearly earnings.

Messi became a free agent on the first of the month after expressing a desire to leave Barcelona last summer due to his fractious relationship with then-president Josep Maria Baromeu. Joan Laporta, president of the team when Messi started his career, returned, giving the superstar a reason to stay.

La Liga president Javier Tebas said the team could not legally re-sign the club’s all-time leading scorer under the same terms after exceeding the limit this year.

• Due to the pandemic, Barca’s salary cap dropped to $454 million compared to the $796 million limit it had in 2019.
• The team is already $1.5 billion in debt.

Messi is worth $400 million. He signed a lifetime deal with adidas in 2017 and launched his own clothing line and retail outlet in 2019.

The new contract is expected to be formally announced in the coming weeks.

The United Rugby Championship is taking steps to grow its fan base after rebranding from Pro14 last month.

On Wednesday, the URC enlisted Roc Nation — the entertainment agency founded by Jay-Z — for strategic consulting on creative initiatives aimed at broadening the league’s appeal.

Luxembourg-based private equity firm CVC Capital Partners purchased a 28% stake in the URC last year for $169 million.

The URC is one of the many sports-related moves CVC has made in the last year.

• Invested $300 million in the International Volleyball Federation in February
• Purchased a stake in Six Nations Rugby in May — a five-year deal worth up to $509 million
• In talks regarding a $600 million deal that would merge the ATP and WTA
• Currently seeking to acquire a stake in the Currie Cup, South Africa’s premier rugby union

Despite CVC’s flurry of new ventures, some efforts have been subject to criticism.

Seven Serie A teams asked their president, Paolo Dal Pino, to step down following his proposed deal with a private consortium that included CVC. The deal would’ve given up a 10% stake in the soccer league’s media company for $2 billion.

Bundesliga teams voted to suspend talks with private investors for the league’s international media rights. CVC was part of the group looking to purchase 25% of a new $2.4 billion media company that would hold the rights.