Mykhailo

Mudryk has been suspended and unable to play for either Chelsea or Ukraine since the FA provisionally suspended him 16 months ago.

He remains contracted to the Blues until 2031, having signed a long deal when he joined for £61m in 2022, as part of the club’s plan to amortise the cost of transfers and contracts.

Amortisation means spreading costs out over many years in order to reduce them in each year of a business’ accounts.

If Mudryk’s ban is upheld by Cas, he would be unable to play again until roughly December 2028, as that is four years since his provisional suspension began.

But if the ban were to be reduced by Cas, he could be back on the pitch in a much shorter timeframe. Sources close to the player believe he could be back in action as early as next season.

Chelsea would be able to terminate Mudryk’s contract once the Cas process has concluded, given an anti-doping ban constitutes a breach of employment terms in most footballers contracts.

Were they to do that, the amortised cost of the remaining years of Mudryk’s contract would disappear from the club accounts – effectively writing the expense off and helping their finances significantly.

On the other hand though, Chelsea would be entitled to sell Mudryk for some sort of transfer fee if they maintain his contract and keep paying his wages.

Or they could of course continue to pay his wages as a member of their squad and reintegrate him into the team once the ban has ended.

Chelsea winger Mykhailo Mudryk has lodged an appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport against a four‑year drugs ban imposed by the Football Association.

The Ukraine international, 25, has been sidelined for nearly 18 months after an “adverse finding in a routine urine test” led to a provisional suspension in December 2024.

Charged in June 2025, Mudryk was subsequently handed the maximum four‑year ban by the FA, according to a spokesperson for the Court of Arbitration for Sport, the highest legal authority in sport.

The FA has never disclosed details of the case.

In such cases, bans are typically backdated to the start of the provisional suspension, meaning his current return date would be around December 2028.

However, an appeal has now been lodged with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas) in Switzerland, with sources close to the player hopeful he could return to action as early as next season.

In a statement to BBC Sport, Cas said: “Cas confirms it has received an appeal by Mykhailo Mudryk against the FA, filed on 25 February 2026. The Parties are currently exchanging written submissions, and a hearing is yet to be scheduled.”

The BBC understands Mudryk came into contact with the cardiovascular medication meldonium, which can increase respiratory capacity and stamina, while on duty with the Ukraine national team in October 2024.

Mudryk, who joined Chelsea for an initial 70m euros (£61m) in January 2023, has not played a competitive match since November 2024.

In his only public statement when his provisional suspension began, Mudryk described his “complete shock” and said he had “never knowingly used any banned substances or broken any rules”.

Mudryk is being defended by Morgan Sports Law, the firm who worked with former Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba during his doping case while playing for Juventus, as well as boxer Tyson Fury and cyclist Chris Froome during their respective investigations.

He is understood to want to return to playing football this year and is keeping fit by training at non-league Uxbridge FC with a private coach and having hired goalkeepers to work with.

Chelsea declined to comment as they wait for the process to take its full course and the FA said it is unable to comment on an ongoing case. Mudryk’s legal team has also been contacted for comment.