‘They’ve done it before’ – Chelsea could ‘bankrupt’ Mykhailo Mudryk after ‘suing’ him
Chelsea could look to sue Mykhailo Mudryk as their losses may exceed £50million if he’s found guilty of a doping offence.
The 24-year-old has been unable to play for the Premier League side since the beginning of December following his suspension.
Mudryk could be facing a lengthy ban if he fails to prove his innocence despite insisting the “adverse finding” in a urine test came as a “complete shock” to him.
The FA charged the Ukraine international with violating its anti-doping rules last month and he could face a four-year ban.
Former Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba was handed a four-year doping ban last year before his suspension was later reduced to 18 months on appeal.
Finance expert Stefan Borson exclusively told Football Insider Chelsea previously sued Adrian Mutu after he tested positive for cocaine during his time at Stamford Bridge.
The Blues sacked their former striker in 2004 after he received a seven-month ban before later moving to recover the £15.8million fee they paid to sign him from Parma in 2003.
Mutu was ordered to pay Chelsea €17million (£14.7million) compensation in 2010 following a lengthy legal battle.
Meanwhile, the London giants signed Mudryk on an eight-and-a-half-year contract from Shakhtar Donetsk in January 2023, with the deal worth an initial £62million and potentially rising to £89million in add-ons.
Chelsea face ‘absolutely enormous’ losses
Borson insisted Chelsea’s losses will be “absolutely enormous” if Mudryk is found guilty and handed a lengthy ban.
He told Football Insider: “It’s slightly different to the Mutu case because that was cocaine.
“From what we can gather, this is a performance enhancer. I think it is possible they could sue. It’s probably unlikely, but it is possible.
“Remember, there’s a lot of money at stake here. If he is banned for most of his career, Chelsea’s losses are absolutely enormous on the deal.
“They probably end up losing obviously all his transfer fee, but probably a certain amount of wages as well. So, you’re talking about Chelsea’s losses being genuinely over £50million.
“There is a lot to go at, but Mudryk won’t have £50million to pay them. Maybe he’s worth £20million. Are they going to bankrupt him? I don’t know.
“Chelsea have done it before with Mutu and are one of the few clubs that have actually sued a player for a very significant amount of money. I think they won something like €17million from memory.
“It’s a long time ago, but they did win. Whether they ever recovered it, I don’t know. I never checked up whether they actually recovered it from Mutu. Probably not.
“But they might sue Mudryk. Probably not, but it’s not impossible.”
Chelsea offer two stars in sensational Morgan Rogers swap deal
In terms of a potential incoming at Stamford Bridge, Football Insider revealed on 28 July Chelsea have made an offer for Morgan Rogers that includes two stars in a cash-plus-players exchange bid.
The Blues are now ramping up their bid to sign the Aston Villa playmaker, who is their top target for the remainder of the summer transfer window.
Villa are resisting interest in Rogers from Chelsea as well as several other Premier League rivals and have made it clear the 23-year-old is not for sale.
However, Maresca’s side are believed to have offered Nicolas Jackson and Tosin Adarabioyo as well as a cash sum to Villa in part-exchange for the England international.
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