Chelsea have reportedly ended negotiations with Leeds United over a loan transfer for Mykhailo Mudryk, despite the winger's desire to move to Elland Road. According to BBC Sport, the Blues broke off talks before Leeds could make a second bid and do not intend to send the Ukraine international to Yorkshire.
Mudryk's return and Chelsea's loan plan
Mudryk, 25, has been cleared to play for the first time in nearly two years after his doping ban was resolved earlier this summer. Chelsea's plan is to loan out the forward, with interest from rival Premier League clubs including Leeds, Brentford and Coventry City.
On Friday, it was reported that Xabi Alonso's team had rejected a loan offer from Leeds as it fell 'well below their expectations', but talks were set to continue over the weekend. However, those discussions have now been terminated.
Minutes guarantee and financial penalties
After 20 months without football, Chelsea have warned prospective clubs that Mudryk must receive plenty of minutes during his loan. To enforce this, they want to include financial penalties in any potential deal that would become active if the forward does not play often enough.
Coventry, Napoli, Atalanta and Roma are interested in taking the player on loan, while a switch to fellow BlueCo owned club Strasbourg is also being considered. However, it is said that Mudryk wants to keep playing in England and his preferred destination is Leeds, who won their opening Premier League game of the season against Nottingham Forest on Saturday.
Uncertain future ahead of deadline day
With just over a week to go before deadline day, the 25-year-old's future is very uncertain and he is not expected to be in Chelsea's squad for Monday night's clash at local rivals Fulham. It is not known exactly why Chelsea have turned down Leeds, though they also rejected a loan offer from Brentford earlier this summer as they wanted to include an option to buy clause in the deal.
Chelsea signed Mudryk from Shakhtar Donetsk for an initial £62million in January 2023. He recorded 10 goals and 11 assists in 73 appearances before his ban. The club's stance on guaranteed playing time is set to shape the winger's next move as the transfer window enters its final week.
