Madrid  - Javi Garcia has left Real Madrid to join Portuguese giants Benfica, according to the websites of AS and Marca on Tuesday.

They claim that Benfica have paid Real around seven million euros (9.93 million dollars) for the polyvalent 22 year-old, although the deal has still not been officially confirmed by Real.

Garcia left Real's training camp in Ireland on Tuesday to fly to Lisbon to sign a five-year contract with Benfica. He thus follows in the footsteps of Javier Saviola, another Real reject who joined Benfica in June.

Garcia joined the Real first team squad in 2006 after progressing through the club's youth scheme, but has spent much more time on the subs' bench than on the field in the past three years.(dpa)