Chelsea transfer news: Mykhaylo Mudryk update as Xabi Alonso reacts to £89m star seeing doping ban ended

Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso has suggested that Mykhaylo Mudryk could feature in his squad for the 2026-27 campaign.

On Friday afternoon, news broke that the Ukraine star was free to continue his career after being sidelined since December 2024 due to a doping ban.

Mudryk had been in line to serve a four-year suspension, only for the Football Association to announce that anti-doping proceedings had been resolved.

The expectation is that the 25-year-old will now be eased back into action after such a lengthy time away from the sport and from being able to train with his teammates.

Speaking at a press conference after Chelsea's 2-1 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday, Alonso gave the impression that he could keep the £89m signing in his squad.

© Imago / Uk Sports Pics Ltd

Alonso reacts to Mudryk doping ban ending

The Spaniard said: "We are happy for him, especially for him. Probably we are not able to understand what we've been through in these moments.

"We want him to be a part of the team. He has the support of everyone."

He added: "It will take time but once things have changed, things will start moving. He wants to play football and be part of the team, it must have been really hard for him."

"I watched him at Shakhtar [Donetsk], the impact he had, how good he is in one-v-one situations.

"He can create a lot of situations on his own. He's a special player. But it will take time, for sure."

© Imago

What is best solution for Mudryk?

Chelsea not having European football on their schedule for 2026-27 is a blow when Mudryk could have plausibly been eased back into action on that stage.

Nevertheless, Alonso's thinking may be that he will benefit more from gradually stepping up his game time at Chelsea than going out on loan to rebuild his career.

That is despite Pedro Neto, Estevao Willian, Jamie Gittens, Geovany Quenda, Morgan Rogers and Nicolas Jackson all being wide options ahead of the new season.

Much may depend on how he fares over the coming weeks. Alonso has revealed that Mudryk will be travelling to Hong Kong tor the next three games of Chelsea's pre-season schedule.