Chelsea tipped to sell Mykhailo Mudryk for £30million as early return date predicted

Mykhailo Mudryk could be available to return to the pitch in December 2026 – but his future at Chelsea is all-but over.

That’s the view of ex-Crystal Palace owner Simon Jordan, who has had his say on the 25-year-old’s whopping four-year ban.

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The FA dished out maximum punishment on the Ukraine international, who tested positive for a banned substance – believed to be performance-enhancing drug Meldonium.

Mudryk had been provisionally suspended since December 2024 following an adverse finding in a routine urine test.

talkSPORT understands that the former Arsenal target has since lodged an appeal over the FA’s decision, which has been referred to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

It is believed that Mudryk’s four-year ban will be backdated and include a provisional ban, keeping him sidelined until 2028.

In the Mud?

But Jordan believes that it won’t be too long until the winger graces the pitch – with Chelsea to quickly bin him off in a cut-price deal worth up to £30million.

Chelsea pipped the Gunners to Mudryk’s signature in January 2023 in a deal rising to £88m, with the player going on to register a mere ten goals and 11 assists from 73 games in all competitions.

Commenting on Mudryk, who is tied down until 2031 at Stamford Bridge, talkSPORT co-host Jordan suggested that the player will get his ban reduced – referencing how boxers have had similar bans shortened.

He said: “If you can tap dance your way around legislation as Conor Benn did and other fighters have done, it will be almost unbelievable to think that Mudryk won’t find a solution to some extent to get himself into a position where the ban is reduced from four years to two years.

“And by the time that comes around, he’ll be almost out because he’d have served the time in the last 15-16 months.”

Before adding: “My nose tells me, that with the kind of resources that a player that’s cost £88m would have around him, that they’ll find a way to get themselves into a position despite strict liability and having to account for it, that they get themselves back into a situation where two years is what they serve.

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“And given they’re 15, 16 months already into it, he’ll be back available as a professional footballer in December of 2026.”

Jordan then detailed why he believes Chelsea will not rip up the forward’s contract – despite him not being available for the foreseeable future.

He remarked: “Chelsea are sitting on the sidelines paying his salary because the alternative is, either looking at the opportunity as a breach of contract, because if he’s being charged and now found guilty, he’s potentially in breach of contract.

“They probably don’t want to do that because they’ve got his registration, if they terminate his contract, they terminated the registration which means they can’t sell him.”

The ex-Eagles chairman continued: “You’ll be able to sell him despite the challenge of what he is and what he isn’t, for £20m-£30m, you’ve booked a profit at that time.

“So there’s lots in it for Chelsea to think about, the player I doubt will play for Chelsea again, because he was a mile off in lots of people’s minds in terms of his competence.

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“And what you’ve got, is a player now that is an £80m misfit, has got banned for drug consequences, now defending himself – not against the fact there’s drugs in his system – against how they’ve got there.

“Strict liability means you’ve got to have a cast-iron, copper bottom, unassailable reason, which clearly hasn’t been the case, otherwise he wouldn’t be getting a four-year ban from the outset.

“He’s relying on the Court of Arbitration for Sport to look at it perhaps more equitably in their minds, and the usual form is, they’ll take the ban and they’ll take it into two years rather than four.

“That’s not exonerating yourself, that’s just bringing yourself back quicker, and then that becomes a situation where Chelsea go, ‘We can still monetise this player.'”

Mudryk, who hasn’t played a competitive game of football since November 2024, has been renting the pitch at non-league side Uxbridge’s stadium to maintain his fitness during his initial suspension.