Chelsea star Mykhailo Mudryk insisted "I have not done anything wrong" after failing a doping test.
Reports from the 23-year-old winger's native Ukraine claimed on Tuesday morning that he could face a ban of up to four years after he failed a drugs test. Mudryk has now released a statement in which the £89million attacker said he had never knowingly doped and had instructed his management team to investigate the cause of the positive test.
He wrote on Instagram: "I can confirm that I have been notified that a sample I provided to the FA contained a banned substance. This has come as a complete shock as I have never knowingly used any banned substances or broken any rules, and am working closely with my team to investigate how this could have happened.
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"I know that I have not done anything wrong and remain hopeful that I will be back on the pitch soon. I cannot say any more now due to the confidentiality of the process, but I will as soon as I can."
Chelsea also released a statement, which read: "Chelsea Football Club can confirm the Football Association recently contacted our player Mykhailo Mudryk concerning an adverse finding in a routine urine test.
Chelsea winger Mykhailo Mudryk before a match
Mykhailo Mudryk has been a massive flop at Chelsea (Image: Ryan Hiscott)
"Both the club and Mykhailo fully support the FA’s testing programme and all our players, including Mykhailo, are regularly tested. Mykhailo has confirmed categorically that he has never knowingly used any banned substances. Both Mykhailo and the club will now work with the relevant authorities to establish what has caused the adverse finding."
According to the reports in Ukraine, the supposed banned substance has not been disclosed. Mudryk could potentially be banned for up to four years for doping, if his B sample also returns a positive reading, meaning the attacker may be absent from the pitch for a significant period of time.
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Mudryk, who arrived at Stamford Bridge in a £89m deal from Shakhtar Donetsk in January 2023, has been one of the biggest flops in Premier League history. He has scored just five goals in only 53 league appearances for the Blues.
He joined the Blues on an eight-and-a-half-year contract for an initial transfer fee of £62m, potentially rising to £89m in add-ons, in a club record sale for Shakhtar and the Ukrainian Premier League, making him the most expensive Ukrainian footballer of all time.
Premier League title rivals Arsenal were also interested in signing the Ukraine star when he moved to England nearly two years ago. It was claimed he favoured a move to The Emirates and was left 'devastated' when it failed to materialise.