- Faces a potential ban of up to four years under FA rules
Chelsea forward Mykhailo Mudryk has been provisionally suspended by the Football Association after failing a drugs test.
Mudryk, who faces a potential ban of up to four years under FA rules, said in a statement this is “a complete shock” and he has “not done anything wrong”.
Chelsea have launched their own investigation and said the 23-year-old insists he “has never knowingly used any banned substances”.
Mudryk, who passed a routine drugs test in August, has not been in the Chelsea squad for the last four games, with head coach Enzo Maresca putting his absence down to illness.
The Ukraine winger, signed from Shakhtar Donetsk for £88.5m in January 2023, last played for Chelsea in a 2-0 win at German side Heidenhem in the Conference League on November 28.
Mudryk, with three goals in 15 games this season, most recently appeared on the bench for Chelsea as an unused substitute on December 1 in a 3-0 win over Aston Villa at Stamford Bridge.
FA rules dictate a player is informed of a positive test and provisionally suspended before a decision is taken on a formal charge. Mudryk has the opportunity during this period to provide an explanation for the result.