Chelsea will save a staggering amount if Mykhailo Mudryk does not play for the club again following the confirmation of his record-breaking ban.
Back in December 2024, it came to light that Mudryk bad been provisionally suspended by the FA after testing positive for the banned substance meldonium.
The Ukrainian had been absent from Chelsea's squad for a considerable period, with details of the case kept under wraps and previous boss Enzo Maresca claiming he was out due to illness.
However, on Wednesday afternoon news emerged that Mudryk had been hit with a four-year ban by the FA - who have administered the maximum punishment.
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Mudryk's test relares to a 2024 urine sample taken ahead of Mudryk departing for international duty.
Meldonium, which was found in his system, can have great cardiovascular benefits - including increasing oxygen uptake, accelerating recovery time and improving fatty acid metabolism to give performance enhancement.
The violation of the ban is set to see Mudryk hit with a record suspension, but he has appealed to overturn the verdict - with Court of Arbitration for Sport now having the final say in the case.
An £88 million signing from Shakhtar Donetsk in January 2023, Mudryk still has a contract which runs until 2031 after penning a mammoth eight-and-a-half-year deal.
However, Shakhtar director Sergei Palkin has revealed the enormous financial impact that the outcome of the case will have for both them and Chelsea.
The terms of the deal stipulated that Chelsea paid an initial £61 million, with a potential further £27 million due in bonuses if conditions were met.
Should Mudryk never play for Chelsea again, the Blues will not be forced to pay that sum to the Ukrainian giants - who will in turn miss out on a valuable amount of money.
"We have €30 million of bonuses in his contract. If he's not playing, or Chelsea aren't reaching results, we are losing €30 million," he told journalist Ben Jacobs.
"That's a big financial impact for us. Everybody believes this story will finish as soon as possible with a positive result and Mudryk will return to playing. Otherwise, we will be in a position to lose €30 million.
"I know Mudryk as a player and a person. I believe he will return and start playing again... Everybody is waiting for the court's decision, and we don't have any information about when this will take place and when the final decision will be issued.
Mudryk has denied any wrongdoing and is being represented by Morgan Sports Law, who worked with Paul Pogba after he was also hit with a four-year ban.
The former Manchester United star has his suspension reduced to 18 months upon appeal and has since returned to football with Monaco.
Mudryk's last game was in a Conference League game against Heidenheim in November 2024 and he has been unable to train in the period since being banned.
Instead, he has been training individually on a pitch at Uxbridge to keep his fitness levels high.
In his only statement at the matter, Mudryk said the initial suspension was "a complete shock" and stressed that he has "not done anything wrong".
“I can confirm that I was informed that the sample I provided to the FA contained a prohibited substance.
The full comment on Instagram stated: "This has come as a complete shock, as I have never knowingly taken any prohibited substances and have not broken any rules, and I am closely cooperating with my team to investigate how this could have happened.
"I know that I have not done anything wrong, and I hope to return to the pitch soon. Right now I cannot say anything due to the confidentiality of the process, but I will say as soon as I can.”
With the suspension backdated, Mudryk would be looking at a return in December 2028 if he does end up with the maximum sanction.
CAS told the BBC that a hearing is yet to be scheduled but parties are "currently exchanging written submissions".
Mudryk has played 73 times for Chelsea, scoring 10 goals.
Topics: Chelsea, Mykhailo Mudryk
Josh Lawless