Mykhailo Mudryk doping ban update as chief confirms Chelsea could SAVE a huge chunk of his £88m transfer fee

Daily Mail​

22-04-2025

Mykhailo Mudryk has passed a 'lie detector test' in his bid to prove his innocence amid a doping ban, a Shakhtar Donetsk chief has claimed.
Chelsea star Mudryk, 24, is currently provisionally suspended from playing football after it was confirmed last year that he had tested positive for the banned substance Meldonium.
He has denied any wrongdoing and vowed to prove his innocence, but has not played for Chelsea since November.
Mudryk appeared to suggest he was missing being part of the team at the weekend, with a cryptic comment on one of Chelsea's posts, as he awaits the result of a 'B' sample, and whether it confirms the findings of his 'A' sample.
But with his former charge out of action, Shakhtar chief Sergei Palkin has claimed that the player is doing everything he can to prove his innocence, including taking a polygraph test.
'I have spoken to Mudryk many times since this doping issue arose,' Palkin told GIVEMESPORT exclusively.
'He doesn't understand how it could have happened. He has no clue. No idea at all.
'So his lawyers organised for him to take a lie detector test, which he passed. It will form part of the evidence showing he didn't intentionally do anything wrong.
'Mudryk has been clear, it's not his fault that he tested positive. We now need to find out how this has happened, and who did this. His lawyers are trying to find out.
'There are still no results from the B-sample, so that remains open. Nobody knows what's happened. I wish Mudryk all the best. He's a top professional and a very good person. He should be protected.
'Shakhtar also has a vested interest. There are bonuses from his move to Chelsea linked to his performances. If he's not playing, it causes problems for us because we could potentially lose €30m. So Shakhtar, Chelsea and Mudryk, we are in one boat.
'We all support Mudryk, and hope he is allowed to continue playing football soon.'
After joining for £88million back in January 2023, Mudyrk struggled to impose himself in the Chelsea side, and failed to really hit the ground running.
In 79 appearances for the Blues, he has only scored 10 goals, and was yet to do so in the Premier League in 2024-25 at the point his suspension came in.
He is yet to feature for the Blues since November and hadn't scored in the Premier League this season before his ban was imposed
If found to have committed an offence, then punishments for a positive drugs test could lead to a long-term ban as was the case with Paul Pogba when the former Man United star was initially banned from football for four years before an appeal led to it being reduced to 18 months.
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.'