Real Madrid Reportedly Take Benfica to Court over Ezequiel Garay-Zenit Transfer

Real Madrid reportedly took Benfica to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in May regarding their sale of Ezequiel Garay to Zenit Saint Petersburg back in 2014 and should receive the results of the trial this month. 

According to Diario De Noticias (h/t Football Espana), Los Blancos sold the Argentinian to the Portuguese outfit in 2011 and were entitled to half of his sell-on fee.

When Garay—now at Valencia—left Benfica three years later he was sold to the Russian outfit for just €6 million, after a €15 million bid from Bayern Munich had already been turned down. Real believe such a sale "grossly undervalued" the centre-back.

The Primeira Liga side received 40 per cent of the sale while a third party, the Benfica Stars Fund, were entitled to the remaining 10 per cent, having bought the rights to it.

The 29-year-old played for two years in Zenit before moving to Valencia this summer for a reported €20 million:

Garay, along with fellow summer signing Eliaquim Mangala, will look to replace Shkodran Mustafi after he departed for Arsenal.

He made 23 appearances in his first season at the Santiago Bernabeu, but injury problems restricted him to just eight the following year before being sold.

Garay would go on to enjoy 135 outings for Benfica and lifted the domestic treble of the Primeira Liga, Taca de Portugal and Taca da Liga in his final season at the club.