Mykhailo Mudryk ban update as Shakhtar fear £26m losses over Chelsea exile | OneFootball

Hope that winger’s ban will soon be lifted after 18 months in limbo

Shakhtar Donetsk will lose out on €30million (£25.9m) worth of bonuses if Mykhailo Mudryk does not play again for Chelsea, according to the club’s chief executive Sergei Palkin.

Mudryk has not stepped up for Chelsea since November 2024, when he was provisionally suspended by the Football Association (FA) for testing positive for a banned substance.

The FA subsequently charged Mudryk with breaching doping regulations in June 2025.

Mudryk, who has strenuously and repeatedly denied the charges against him, is still waiting for test results from a ‘B’ sample. He faces a ban of up to four years under current FA regulations should he be found guilty.

Chelsea signed Mudryk from Shakhtar in January 2023 for a fee worth up to £89m, including add-ons. The 25-year-old signed an eight-and-a-half-year contract.

The winger is continuing to train, having recently used the artificial pitch at Uxbridge FC, a non-league club at step four.

Palkin believes the investigation into Mudryk will be concluded soon and expects the 28-cap Ukraine international to return to playing football.

Speaking ahead of Shakhtar’s Conference League semi-final first leg against Crystal Palace, Palkin said: "We have €30m of bonuses in his contract. If he's not playing, or Chelsea aren't reaching results, we are losing €30m. That's a big financial impact for us.

"Everybody believes this story will finish as soon as possible with a positive result and Mudryk will return to playing. Otherwise, we will be in a position to lose €30m.

"I know Mudryk as a player and a person. I believe he will return and start playing again... Everybody is waiting for the court's decision, and we don't have any information about when this will take place and when the final decision will be issued."