Chelsea winger Mykhailo Mudryk has said he is shocked after being notified of a positive drugs test by the Football Association.
Reports in Ukraine on Tuesday suggest a prohibited substance was found in an "A" sample given at the end of October. Those same reports state the "B" sample has not yet been tested but will be in the coming days.
Confirmation that Mudryk has used a banned substance could trigger a lengthy ban from football, potentially up to four years.
A source told ESPN that Mudryk has been provisionally suspended pending the outcome of an investigation but the FA and Chelsea refused to confirm this when contacted by ESPN.
Mudryk, 23, has missed the club's last five matches with head coach Enzo Maresca citing illness as the reason for his omission.
"I can confirm that I have been notified that a sample I provided to the FA contained a banned substance," Mudryk wrote on Instagram.
"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."
Chelsea have confirmed that the FA have been in contact over an adverse urine sample from Mykhailo Mudryk.
Chelsea said in a statement: "Chelsea Football Club can confirm the Football Association recently contacted our player Mykhailo Mudryk concerning an adverse finding in a routine urine test.
"Both the club and Mykhailo fully support The FA's testing programme and all our players, including Mykhailo, are regularly tested. Mykhailo has confirmed categorically that he has never knowingly used any banned substances.
"Both Mykhailo and the club will now work with the relevant authorities to establish what has caused the adverse finding. The club will not be commenting any further."
FA rules state that a player notified of a positive test result can be provisionally suspended by their club pending a right of reply and subsequent testing of a 'B' sample.
Mudryk joined Chelsea from Shakhtar Donetsk in January 2023 for a fee which could potentially rise to £88 million. However, his time in England has been mixed having started just 26 Premier League games and only one this season.
The Ukraine winger has been a regular in the Europa Conference League, where Maresca has made wholesale changes from his regular Premier League line-ups.
Chelsea are reportedly preparing a €70 million offer for Barcelona defender Jules Kounde ahead of the summer transfer window, according to reports from Spain.The French international was heavily linked with a move to Stamford Bridge before joining Barcelona in 2022, and he has remained a target for Chelsea ever since.Now, the London club is once again eyeing the 26-year-old as a key addition...
Chelsea are interested in signing the AC Milan attacker Rafael Leao at the end of the season. The 25-year-old attacker has done quite well for the Italian club this season, and he has 10 goals and nine assists to his name in all competitions. According to a report from Calciomercato, Chelsea are evaluating a potential move for the player with the help of super agent Jorge Mendes.However, the Blues...
Jules Kounde is being linked with a move to Chelsea once againChelsea are reportedly preparing a massive bid to sign one of Barcelona’s key players, with fresh claims emerging from Spain.The Blues have reignited their interest in Jules Kounde, a player they aggressively pursued when he left Sevilla in 2022. Back then, Chelsea were locked in a fierce transfer battle with Barcelona, only to be...
Helen Flanagan was a soap superstar on Coronation StreetFormer Coronation Street actress Helen Flanagan has opened up on life as a Premier League footballer's WAG, pointing out that living life in the public eye has its ups and downs.Flanagan, 34, was engaged to former Chelsea, Swansea, Manchester City, Aston Villa, Celtic, Preston and current Bristol Rovers winger Scott Sinclair, who turned 36 on...
Arsenal confident Zubimendi deal is done but must fight off MadridArsenal are reportedly confident they have sealed a deal for Martin Zubimendi, but incoming sporting director Andrea Berti must fight off Real Madrid.Chelsea step up interest in WilliamsChelsea have intensified their pursuit of Athletic Club star Nico Williams, according to TEAMtalk. The Premier League side has reportedly initiated ...
David Moyes believes James Tarkowski was lucky to avoid a red card for his reckless challenge on Alexis Mac Allister as Everton were beaten 1-0 by Liverpool on a controversial night at Anfield.Diogo Jota’s 57th-minute goal, which Moyes claimed should have been ruled out for offside, gave Liverpool a 100th derby win and moved them a step closer to the Premier League title, but both sides were...
Jack Grealish dedicated his goal to his late brother after scoring in Manchester City’s 2-0 win over relegation-threatened Leicester on Wednesday.The England international hit his first Premier League goal for 16 months, on his first start in the competition since last December, as City moved back into fourth with a comfortable success at the Etihad Stadium.It came on the 25th anniversary of...
David Moyes bemoaned an “offside” goal that gave Liverpool a 1-0 win over Everton – but admitted James Tarkowski was lucky to avoid an early red card on a controversial night at Anfield.Diogo Jota’s 57th-minute goal gave Liverpool a 100th derby win and moved them a step closer to the Premier League title, but both sides were left unhappy with decisions from referee Sam Barr...
Eddie Howe hailed Sandro Tonali’s shooting power after seeing him cap a fine display with a stunning winner to edge Newcastle into the race for Champions League qualification.The 24-year-old Italy international brought an incident-packed encounter to a fitting conclusion with a 74th-minute piledriver which beat goalkeeper Mark Flekken from an improbable angle to hand the Magpies a precious 2...
Aston Villa boss Unai Emery believes Marcus Rashford is “progressively getting better” in all aspects of his game following his first Premier League goal for the club.The on-loan Manchester United forward set Villa on course for a comprehensive 3-0 win over fellow European hopefuls Brighton with a 51st-minute finish at the Amex Stadium.Rashford’s milestone strike came three days ...
- 1 Hot WAG flaunts 'astonishing' washboard abs in bikini
- 2 Danny Rohl hails Sheffield Wednesday resilience in draw at Cardiff
- 3 Alfie May double sends Birmingham step closer to Championship
- 4 Marcus Rashford scores first Premier League goal for Villa in win at Brighton
- 5 Ryan Lowe and Conor Hourihane felt team deserved more as Wigan and Barnsley draw
- 6 Mat Sadler hails Taylor Allen set-piece skills after Walsall snatch draw
- 7 Chris Davies says Alfie May’s goal drought never concerned him
- 8 Football fan 'eats' raw pig's head in ultimate insult
- 9 Marcus Rashford still looking to improve after firing Villa into FA Cup semis
- 10 Chelsea prepare €70m for Barcelona defender