Chelsea’s Ukrainian star Mykhailo Mudryk, one of the club’s most expensive signings, has tested positive for a banned substance during a doping test and faces a four-year suspension. Ukrainian media outlet Tribuna broke the story, reporting that Mudryk tested positive for meldonium (mildronate), a prohibited drug, and is expected to release a public explanation soon. For now, he has disabled comments on his Instagram account.
The doping test, conducted in late October, returned a positive result in sample A. However, the outcome will only be confirmed after sample B is analyzed, a process that may take several days. Once complete, it will determine whether Mudryk will face disqualification and for how long.
Notably, Mudryk has not played since December 1, when he featured against Aston Villa. Since then, he has missed four matches for Chelsea.
Initially, Chelsea officially cited viral illness as the reason for his absence, stating on December 4 that Mudryk missed the Southampton match due to health issues. Two days later, manager Enzo Maresca confirmed: “In general, only Misha Mudryk is still ill. The rest of the team is fine.”
Since then, the club has offered no further updates on Mudryk’s health, leaving fans and analysts speculating about the situation.
