By Tim Stannard

Neymar's lawyers studying possibility of FIFA setting lower release clause to allow Ne-exit from PSG 

It's been a whole day and a bit since the official closing of the European summer transfer window. 

Time to reflect and contemplate. 

Time to have deep thoughts on how Sevilla's much-changed line-up will look or if Leicester City can break into the EPL's top four. 

Nope. That's no fun.

It's high time to talk Neymar 2020, as that is now a thing. The Barcelona press, Neymar, Neymar's Dad and Neymar's lawyers are now plotting another way out of PSG for next summer. And that involves FIFA. 

The ruse is to use an article in FIFA's rules on transfers where the organization itself can value the price of a player to remove himself from his contract to avoid what Mundo Deportivo have called "prisons of gold". 

That price is reported to be a mere $176 million. So, Barcelona better get saving. And get some good lawyers as legal battles are set to be the theme of next summer's Neymar transfer saga. 

Meanwhile, Luis Suarez has revealed that he was in contact with the Brazilian during the summer and said that Neymar did everything he could to leave PSG and return to Barcelona. 

It looks like Neymar is not giving up anytime soon. 

Michael Owen takes on all-comers in tell-all book 

Fight! Fight! Fight!

Former Liverpool and England striker, Michael Owen, is discovering that while laudable and great for the reader, telling the truth and being honest in autobiographies is a terrible idea.

'Reboot - My Life, My Time' is currently being serialized in the English press and in what is a particularly open confession, Owen says that moving from Real Madrid to Newcastle United in 2005 was a "downward step" that he "really regrets."

That raised the spines of the very Geordie Alan Shearer who was temporarily Owen's manager during a season at Newcastle when the team got relegated in 2009. 

Owen has also revealed that he isn't ready to make nice at David Beckham after the midfielder was sent off against Argentina for kicking out at Diego Simeone in the same 1998 World Cup game where he scored his career-launching goal. "David let us down and I still hold some resentment about that today," muttered Owen showing more fire and commitment to the cause than in much of his playing career.

Nadal has clear path to US Open glory

It's the end of the world as we know it. And Sports Burst doesn't feel fine. 

There's a chance that neither Rafa Nadal, Novak Djokovic nor Roger Federer will win the US Open. And that has to be a cause for concern in apocalyptic terms. It has been five years since somebody brand new won a men's Grand Slam tournament. That person was Marin Cilic at 2014 US Open. 

Djokovic succumbed to injury in the Round of 16. Roger Federer was defeated in an epic five-set clash against Bulgarian opponent, Grigor Dimitrov, on Tuesday night. Afterwards the 38-year-old, five-times US Open winner said that he was struggling with a back problem throughout the game. 

Nadal now has the chance to sew up a 19th Grand Slam title with the Spaniard's two main rivals out of the way. The first challenge is a quarterfinal clash today against Diego Schwartzman. 

No such problems for another 38-year-old tennis legend on Tuesday with Serena Williams making short shrift (6-1, 6-0) of Wang Ziang to move into the semifinals where she will face Elina Svitolina. Canada's Bianca Andreescu faces Elise Mertens in today's quarterfinal clash.