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Chelsea have updated Mykhailo Mudryk's contract amid his ongoing ban from first team football
New information from the FA shows banned Chelsea winger Mykhailo Mudryk has an 'updated contract' despite not playing for the club since November 2024.
The FA's latest document of payments made to agents by Premier League clubs has Chelsea well out in front. The Blues paid £65.1m to intermediaries from February 2025 to February 2026, with Premier League clubs spending £460m in that timeframe.
The next closest team in the top flight was Aston Villa with £38.4m and Manchester City in third with £37.4m paid to intermediaries.
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However, in the list of transactions, it shows a mysterious 'updated contract' for suspended Chelsea winger Mudryk, who is currently banned after failing a doping test.
Defender Marc Cucurella is another player to have signed an updated contract but was not announced by the club. The Mail reports it was a pay increase due to his form, rather than a contract extension.
Chelsea were also the biggest spenders in the Women's Super League, with their £1.1m accounting for over a quarter of the overall total, which rose by 75%, from £1.6m to £3.8m.
Ukrainian winger Mudryk could be banned for up to four years, but his punishment has not yet been revealed. The World Anti-Doping Agency said in November that they were still awaiting disciplinary action from the FA.
Shakhtar Donetsk CEO Sergei Palkin, who knows the forward from his time at the club, revealed the winger was not doing well as his ban continues.
He told football.london: "For me, what has happened is a pity because I'd never seen a player like Mudryk. "I remember him from our academy.
"He was a hard worker, he was a tough guy and he trained much, much more than other players. He stayed after training.
"For me, it's a big pity what has happened because this guy did everything in his life to stay on the top level. It's not fair what's happened to him now, and I believe that his lawyers will find solutions and he will return to football as soon as possible.
"From time to time I arrive to London and I meet with him, and I support him because for me, it's very important that he feels that he has people behind him, who support him."
The winger has been spotted training alone, with current rules not permitting him to train with the Chelsea first team.
"He is training, he's training by himself because the FIFA rules say you cannot stay in the camp," Palkin said. "He dedicates almost the whole day to train and to keep himself in a good level, physically and mentally.
"The mood is not so good at this moment but he believes everything should be good and he will return to football as fast as possible."
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