Chelsea winger Mykhailo Mudryk is available to return to playing immediately after resolving his doping case with the Football Association.
The Ukraine international, 25, has not played a competitive match since November 2024, having been provisionally suspended after returning an “adverse finding” for banned substance meldonium.
He was subsequently given the maximum four-year ban by the FA but appealed against the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas).
The FA said anti-doping disciplinary proceedings have now been resolved with Mudryk and he can return to competition “with immediate effect” after he accepted breaking anti-doping rules and agreed to a suspension equal to the time already served.
Mudryk said he was “grateful” to able to return to playing after “the most difficult period” of his career.
He added: “As I have always maintained from the outset of this case, I have never knowingly or intentionally taken any banned substance.”
Chelsea said they are looking forward to helping Mudyk “return to full fitness, back into the squad and back onto the pitch” and he will join the club’s pre-season tour.
Mudryk said he expresses “deep gratitude” to everyone at Chelsea and is looking forward to the “next chapter” of his career.
The FA never previously disclosed details of the case, because their anti-doping programme is deemed strictly confidential.
However, their statement on Friday confirmed Mudryk returned an adverse finding for meldonium, which can increase respiratory capacity and stamina, in an out-of-competition test on international duty with Ukraine in October 2024.
The FA said the test revealed “a low concentration” of the prohibited cardiovascular medication.
It added that changes have since been made to the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) technical document regarding meldonium.
The FA said the changes are “not retroactive” but noted that if Mudryk’s test was conducted today then “the concentration of meldonium in the sample would not have been reported” and no adverse finding would have been recorded.
Mudryk and the FA have now, with the agreement of Wada, resolved the appeal proceedings, leaving him able to immediately return.
Mudryk remains contracted with Chelsea until 2031, having signed a long deal when he joined for £61m from Shakhtar Donetsk in 2022, as part of the club’s plan to amortise the cost of transfers and contracts.
Amortisation means spreading costs out over many years in order to reduce them in each year of a business’ accounts.
If Mudryk’s four-year ban had remained in place, he would have been unable to play again until roughly December 2028.
Chelsea said the club are “pleased that the matter has now reached a conclusion which allows him to return to football with immediate effect”.