Chelsea have turned down an initial loan bid from Leeds United for winger Mykhailo Mudryk, though talks between the two clubs are continuing. The 25-year-old, who is keen to move to Elland Road, has agreed to spend the season away from Stamford Bridge to rebuild his fitness and match sharpness following a lengthy absence from the game.

Mudryk served a 20-month ban after testing positive for the banned substance meldonium, which ended in July, and he has since featured as a substitute in Chelsea's pre-season fixtures under new manager Xabi Alonso. Leeds are seen as front-runners partly because they are willing to take him on loan without a purchase option, letting Chelsea retain control of his future while the Yorkshire club covers his wages; other suitors include Brentford, whose proposal for a permanent option was rejected, along with Coventry City and Chelsea's sister club Strasbourg. Mudryk, signed from Shakhtar Donetsk for an initial £61m in 2023, has indicated he would prefer to stay in the Premier League, and a return to first-team action at Chelsea this season is considered unlikely but not entirely ruled out.