Chelsea respond to Mykhailo Mudryk bid as transfer battle heats up

Updated: 21 Aug 2026 17:19 BST | 4 min read

Mykhailo Mudryk, Chelsea, 2026/27 — © IMAGO

Tom Weber | Writer

Multilingual sports writer who specialises in European football and American soccer.

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Chelsea have rejected an opening bid for Mykhailo Mudryk - but it has not come from Coventry City.

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The Ukraine international is eligible to play again after winning the legal battle over his four-year doping suspension. Though Mudryk has featured in pre-season, there is an acceptance that he probably won't play much of a role for Chelsea this summer.

He has not played a competitive game of football in more than 18 months. Despite keeping himself in good shape, it is clear that he is probably not in the right physical - and perhaps mental - state to consistently play for a team with top-four and title-challenging ambitions.

Current ETV

Mykhailo Mudryk

F, M (L)

Chelsea

Mykhailo Mudryk

F, M (L)

Chelsea

ETV Range

€30.6M - €37.4M

Chelsea and the player have therefore decided that a loan away is the best course of action. The easiest solution would be to park Mudryk at BlueCo sister club Strasbourg, but this comes with two issues.

For one, Mudryk is said to prefer a loan to another Premier League team. Secondly, sending Mudryk abroad would take away one of Chelsea's precious international loan spots.

Chelsea reject Mudryk bid

Since the news of Mudryk's return broke, the other club, besides Strasbourg, strongly linked with the 25-year-old have been newly promoted Coventry, managed by Chelsea legend Frank Lampard.

The former midfielder briefly coached Mudryk after the winger's arrival from Shakhtar Donetsk in early 2023, when he took over as caretaker manager following the sacking of Graham Potter.

© IMAGO - Mykhailo Mudryk last played a competitive game for Chelsea in 2024

Coventry are far from the only club linked with Mudryk, but this rumour has been the most persistent. And yet, the Sky Blues are at risk of being beaten to the punch by Leeds United.

News broke earlier on Friday that Daniel Farke's side were interested in a deal for the speedy wide man, and Sky Sports now reports that Chelsea have rejected an opening loan offer from the Elland Road side.

The details of the bid have not been disclosed, so it is unclear why Chelsea deemed it insufficient - whether it had to do with wage coverage and the loan fee or if Leeds attempted to include a permanent element.

What is known, though, is that discussions between the two clubs continue. Mudryk is understood to be open to the move, so there appears to be a good chance of the deal materialising if common ground can be found.

Mudryk is understood to be training with a separate group of Chelsea players - the club's new Bomb Squad, which isn't actually a Bomb Squad - and it is clear that he will leave the club before the window closes.

Manager Xabi Alonso said on Thursday: "We will see, we still have time to decide and we don't have to rush on many decisions and at the right time, we will take them. At the moment, not yet."