Mykhailo Mudryk attracts attention following return to football
Chelsea have already received a wave of enquiries for Mykhailo Mudryk after the winger’s surprise return to football, with three Premier League clubs among those exploring a possible move, reports BritPanorama.
The Ukraine international has become one of the most intriguing names on the market after bringing an end to his lengthy absence, leaving Chelsea with a major decision over his immediate future.
According to the Daily Mail, Frank Lampard’s Coventry City are among the clubs to have made contact regarding the 25-year-old, while interest has also arrived from elsewhere in England and overseas.
Despite the growing attention, Chelsea are yet to decide whether Mudryk will remain part of Xabi Alonso’s plans this season or head out on loan in search of regular minutes.
The current intention is for Alonso to assess the former Shakhtar Donetsk star during the club’s pre-season tour after Mudryk travelled to Hong Kong to rejoin the first-team squad.
Chelsea’s coaching staff want to establish where the winger stands physically after almost two years away from competitive football. Mudryk has not featured in a competitive match since November 2024, when he scored during Chelsea’s Conference League victory over Heidenheim.
Shortly afterwards, he was informed he had returned a positive doping test, bringing his season to an abrupt halt. One option under consideration is a temporary move to Strasbourg, allowing Mudryk to continue his development within the BlueCo group while rebuilding his sharpness in Ligue 1.
There is no shortage of interest elsewhere, however, with clubs attracted by the pace and attacking ability that persuaded Chelsea to spend up to £89million to sign him from Shakhtar in January 2023.
Speaking after Chelsea’s pre-season defeat by Tottenham in Sydney, Alonso admitted Mudryk’s return had come as welcome news and confirmed the winger would now begin working alongside the rest of the squad.
Chelsea’s summer schedule continues with a friendly against Juventus in Hong Kong before further fixtures in Indonesia and Malaysia. They will then conclude their preparations by hosting Real Sociedad at Stamford Bridge.
Should Alonso decide Mudryk is ready, that fixture could mark his first appearance at Stamford Bridge since Chelsea’s Premier League meeting with Arsenal in November 2024.
Mudryk’s comeback has been made possible following changes to the World Anti-Doping Agency’s regulations surrounding meldonium, the substance at the centre of his failed test. WADA increased the minimum reporting threshold from 120 to 150 per cent, meaning that if Mudryk’s sample were analysed under the current criteria, it would not constitute an anti-doping violation.
An agreement has since been reached involving WADA and the Football Association, allowing the suspension to come to an end after it was accepted he had served his sanction. Throughout that period, Mudryk continued training almost every day in preparation for a return.
The winger has reportedly hired the facilities at non-League side Uxbridge for private sessions with a personal trainer, while Chelsea remained supportive throughout the process and continued to believe his repeated insistence that he had not knowingly breached anti-doping regulations. It is believed the positive test stemmed from the period when Mudryk was on international duty with Ukraine in September 2024, with the result only being communicated to him after his Conference League appearance against Heidenheim two months later.
Whatever the decision regarding his future, Mudryk’s story serves as a reminder of the complexities at play in modern football, where both personal and professional challenges can influence a player’s trajectory in the game.
