Chelsea outcast Mykhailo Mudryk could yet restart his career on loan away from Stamford Bridge if and when the winger returns to action following the outcome of his provisional doping ban.
The Ukraine international has not played for the Blues since November 2024 after he was found to have tested positive for banned substance meldonium.
Mudryk was charged by the Football Association (FA) last June and continues to deny any wrongdoing.
Should the charge be found, the 25-year-old could face a lengthy ban of up to four years away from the game.
However, if Mudryk is cleared to return to professional sport following the conclusion of the case, the Blues are thought to have earmarked a loan move for him to their sister club Strasbourg.
As per L’Equipe, Mudryk could be offered a loan deal which he might feel obliged to accept following the protracted amount of time he has spent outside of the game.
Mykhailo Mudryk has not played since November 2024 and faces an anxious wait for the resolution of his positive drug test case
The route between Chelsea and Strasbourg has become a well-travelled one since the former’s ownership group BlueCo purchased the latter in the summer of 2023.
This season alone the two clubs have agreed 12 deals between one another, including the snaring of now-manager Liam Rosenior from the Ligue 1 side to replace deposed head coach Enzo Maresca in January.
Some of the Blues players on loan this term include Champions League winner Ben Chilwell, Aaron Anselmino and goalkeeper Mike Penders.
But there is no clarity over when a decision over Mudryk’s case will be announced, with the World Anti-Doping Agency’s president Witold Banka hinting at somewhat of an impasse in November.
‘First of all, we are waiting for a disciplinary decision in his case (from the English FA). As of today, we do not know when it will come,’ Banka said. ‘Then, according to the anti-doping code, we will request the player’s documentation and will decide whether we agree with this disciplinary decision.
‘We can appeal in two cases: if we consider the decision too harsh or too lenient.’
In a message to his followers on Instagram after his provisional ban, Mudryk posted: ‘I can confirm that I have been notified that a sample I provided to The FA contained a banned substance.
‘This has come as a complete shock as I have never knowingly used any banned substances or broken any rules, and am working closely with my team to investigate how this could have happened.
‘I know that I have not done anything wrong and remain hopeful that I will be back on the pitch soon.
‘I cannot say any more now due to the confidentiality of the process, but I will as soon as I can.’
Since then, Mudryk was last sighted with his team-mates at the celebrations in the aftermath of their Uefa Conference League win in Poland last summer.
At the start of the year, Mudryk urged fans not to ‘give up’ on him in a brief missive to Instagram, and earlier this month, he shared footage of himself training on his own at semi-professional club Uxbridge FC’s facilities.
