I would never talk about things that I do not know, you should do the same thing. Though my english is very very limited, I am going to try to explain what I want to say in a best possible way.
THE COUNCIL DIDN'T PAID ANYTHING TO REAL MADRID!!!!!!, ok?
After this sentence, everything what you have said does not mean anything. You lost the moral authority to talk about Real Madrid.
Madrid's Council and the region of the Comunidad de Madrid (CAM) did not pay anything, they re-qualified part of the land of the old training center (it was a sport area and turned into edificable area) and they obteined 1+1/3 of the four skyscrapers that are going to be constructed in that place. Only four skyscrapers because Real Madrid, and as consequence of this agreement, obtained fewer edificability that was corresponding to him and obtained less than all the rest owners of the neighborhood that also was in the same case; even being the first owner there 50 years ago when it was an area out of city (now is in a privileged situation).
Two towers and the 64'3 % of the third one was from Real Madrid, the rest from this one for the CAM and the fourth one for the Council. Each one sold this patrimony the way they want to do it. Real Madrid got 90.000 million pesetas (less than 550 millions euros), the Council and the CAM 40 000, and the Estate obteined the third part of these 130.000 in taxes. The city earned 60.000 square meters of green zones and a new incredible financial center.
The place will turn into one of the most emblematic tertiary complexes in Europe, at a the level of the Defense, the Docklands or the Postdamer Playz; in representation, volume of business and importance.
The agreement was approved by practically all the political and social institutions: PP, IU, UGT and CC.OO, the Managerial Organizations and the Federation of Residents Associations. An operation of this type was never realized by so many transparency and political and social support.
You said "they're fortunate to have a city council that was happy, a few years ago, to pay way over the odds to purchase the land upon which Real Madrid's old training ground stood". I repeat, nobody paid anything.
The operation "Old Training Ground" was a success for all the parts and a Harvard business case study has been made (the second one that this prestigious University dedicates to Real Madrid during the mandate of the current president, Florentino Pérez).
One year ago "someone" that is not capable to expel his eternal complex of inferiority (we all know the name of the club even they kept in the anonymity) denounced illegalities of Real Madrid, of the CAM and of the Council in the sale of the land, to the Comisión Europea (CE). A few weeks later the CE not only reaffirm the legality of the operation but they praised the cleanliness of this one.
