Not many players who hand in a request remain at a club for very long. I might be wrong, but rejecting said request, then benching him could probably be taken to arbitration, certainly grounds for constructive dismissal. These are ppl remember they have rights, you can't let them rot in the reserves. As for forcing a move to Real or Barca, they have yet to show any interest and would have done so by now given how long this has rumbled on for.