Chelsea will save a staggering sum if Mykhailo Mudryk no longer plays for the club, after his record-breaking ban was confirmed.
In December 2024, it was announced that Mudryk had been provisionally suspended by the English Football Association after testing positive for the banned substance meldonium.
The Ukrainian had been absent from the Chelsea squad for a considerable period, with details of the matter kept under wraps and former manager Enzo Maresca claiming he was absent due to illness.
However, on Wednesday afternoon it was reported that Mudryk has been hit with a four-year ban by the FA, which has handed down the maximum punishment.
Mudryk’s test is linked to a urine sample taken in 2024, before he left for the training camp with the national team.
Meldonium, which was found in his body, may have major cardiovascular benefits, including increasing oxygen uptake, accelerating recovery time, and improving fatty acid metabolism, leading to increased performance.
The breach is expected to earn Mudryk a record suspension, but he has appealed to have the decision overturned – with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) now having the final say in the matter.
Transferred for around €101 million from Shakhtar Donetsk in January 2023, Mudryk still has a contract with Chelsea until 2031, having signed a gigantic eight-and-a-half-year deal.
Under the terms of the deal, Chelsea initially paid around 70 million euros, with the possibility of a further 31 million euros in bonuses if certain conditions were met.
If Mudryk never plays again for Chelsea, the Blues will not be forced to pay that amount to the Ukrainian giants, who, in turn, will lose a significant amount of money.
