Chelsea quietly made decision over Mykhailo Mudryk before doping ban announcement

Chelsea had already made a key decision relating to Mykhailo Mudryk's immediate future before he appealed against his doping ban.

Various sources reported on Wednesday afternoon that the Ukraine winger had been handed a four-year ban for a breach of anti-doping rules by the FA.

The case has been unusual in that very few details have been made public since the 25-year-old was originally suspended by the FA in December 2024.

He was reported to have tested positive for the banned substance meldonium, which decreases lactate production during and after exercise.

His A sample initially came back positive, before his B sample - which verifies the accuracy of the A sample result - also returned a positive result.

Read more: Mykhailo Mudryk handed huge ban over doping scandal

Mudryk stated that the positive test had 'come as a complete shock', adding that he had never knowingly used any banned substances or broken any rules.

The Ukrainian was charged in June 2025, and no new updates on the case emerged until Wednesday's reports. The FA, Chelsea and Mudryk's representatives and lawyers are all yet to comment.

Mudryk hasn't played for Chelsea since November 2024 (Image: Getty)

The only comment made by a public figure surrounding the case is by his former Shakhtar Donetsk CEO Serhii Palvin, who stated that he regularly meets with Mudryk in London and that he has been training on his own.

The ex-Shakhtar star has already been provisionally suspended for 18 months, though it is unclear as to whether that time served will form part of his four-year suspension.

If it does, he would not be able to return to football until December 2028.

At this stage, he remains under contract at Chelsea, and his former manager Enzo Maresca stated last summer that he would back the winger until the situation demanded otherwise.

What do Chelsea do next?

If Mudryk fails in his appeal, it is evidently unclear as to what Chelsea will do until they make an official comment on the matter - as is the case regarding his provisional ban.

It was reported in March that Mudryk could be sent out on loan to Ligue 1 side Strasbourg next season if he succeeds in the appeal and is eligible to play again.

L'Equipe claimed, via an 'English source', that the Ukrainian would 'surely have the humility to accept this challenge after almost two years without playing', and that the move to Strasbourg was 'a possibility'.

Chelsea would first need to resolve Mudryk's contract situation if he does win his appeal.

The FA's agent transactions list for 2025/26, published last month, showed that the club and Mudryk's primary agent, Vadym Shablii, had agreed to an 'updated contract'.

That phrasing is used for several other Chelsea players in the listing, though the agents involved in the other cases were all working for the registered club.

There is no further information given surrounding the details of Mudryk's 'updated contract'.

While the details from other listings, which include permanent transfers and contract extensions, can be found publicly, that is not the case with Mudryk given the confidentiality surrounding his situation.