Chelsea are preparing to send Mykhailo Mudryk out on loan and have identified sister club Strasbourg as the ideal destination for the winger following his lengthy absence.
Mudryk, who joined Chelsea from Shakhtar Donetsk in a deal worth up to £89m, has returned to pre-season training after resolving his doping case with the Football Association. The Ukraine international has not played since late 2024 after being provisionally suspended for an 'adverse finding' for the banned substance meldonium.
Loan move planned
The FA ended its anti-doping proceedings after Mudryk accepted breaching anti-doping rules and agreed to a suspension equal to the one year and eight months already served. Chelsea believe a loan move will give Mudryk the chance to get regular minutes and demonstrate his level after such a long lay-off.
Mudryk underwhelmed before his suspension, scoring just five goals across two-and-a-half Premier League seasons at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea beat off competition from Arsenal to sign him but are still waiting to see the best of the 25-year-old.
Three clubs interested
Three Premier League teams have expressed interest in signing Mudryk on loan, but Foot Mercato report that Chelsea are keen for the player to join Strasbourg. New Chelsea boss Xabi Alonso said of Mudryk's return: 'It's too early to tell how he is in terms of fitness, in terms of the game time you need to be involved again, so it's still too early to tell.'
'But we are happy for him, especially for him, because we are probably not able to understand what he has been through during this time and how he feels at the moment with the things he has had to cope with. We expect that it will take time. He trained on his own every day, and I think it had to be really, really hard because he wanted to play football, he wanted to be part of a team, and he was not allowed to do that for such a long time.'
'Afterwards we will see if it's quicker or slower, but we need to be aware of that. We want him to feel part of the team. Once he is with us, we will see how things develop.' Mudryk said he was 'grateful' to be able to return after 'the most difficult period' of his career.
Chalobah to Como
Chelsea have also agreed to sell Trevoh Chalobah to Como, with the Italian club paying an initial £27.5m plus £5.1m in add-ons. The 27-year-old, who made 151 appearances for Chelsea, will link up with Cesc Fabregas. Alonso sanctioned Chalobah's exit after signing Maxence Lacroix from Crystal Palace for £52m.
Lacroix said: 'I think when I saw the players like Reece [James], like Morgan [Rogers], I'm just really happy to be also in a way in their story, you know? To write part of the Chelsea story with them. I'm really proud, really happy, to be part of this beautiful project and I just want to start playing. I'm really excited to see the guys, to see the manager, to start the season, because I feel like we have a story to write here, and I can be part of it, so it's beautiful.'
