The 25-year-old Ukraine international was provisionally suspended in December 2024 after an out-of-competition test taken during international duty the previous October returned an adverse finding for meldonium, a substance that can boost respiratory capacity and stamina; he had not featured competitively since Chelsea's November 2024 win at Heidenheim.
The FA initially handed Mudryk the maximum four-year ban following a hearing in January, a sanction he challenged at the Court of Arbitration for Sport with the help of Morgan Sports Law, the firm that previously represented Paul Pogba and Tyson Fury — Pogba's own four-year doping ban was later cut to 18 months on appeal.
Rather than that process running its course, the FA said the case has now been resolved with the agreement of the World Anti-Doping Agency: Mudryk accepted that he broke anti-doping rules and agreed to a suspension equal to the time he has already served, allowing an immediate return.
Central to the resolution were changes made since to WADA's technical guidance on meldonium; the FA said the "low concentration" found in Mudryk's sample would not even have been reported under the current threshold, though the change is not retroactive to his original case.
"I have never knowingly or intentionally taken any banned substance," Mudryk said, adding that he was "grateful" to return after "the most difficult period" of his career and expressing "deep gratitude" to everyone at Chelsea as he looks ahead to the "next chapter."
Chelsea said they were "pleased that the matter has now reached a conclusion which allows him to return to football with immediate effect" and confirmed he will join the club's pre-season tour as they help him work back to full fitness.
Mudryk signed a contract with Chelsea running until 2031 when he joined from Shakhtar Donetsk for £61m in January 2023, one of several long-term deals the club has used to spread transfer costs over time through amortisation. Had his original four-year ban stood, he would not have been able to play again until roughly December 2028.