Tottenham sign Mykhailo Mudryk on loan from Chelsea with £75 million buy option
Tottenham Hotspur have signed winger Mykhailo Mudryk on a season-long loan with a £75 million purchase option, reuniting the 25-year-old with manager Roberto De Zerbi following his return from a doping ban.
Deadline move to north London
Tottenham Hotspur completed the signing of Ukrainian forward Mykhailo Mudryk on a season-long loan from Chelsea on Tuesday, securing an option to make the transfer permanent for £75 million (around €87 million). The 25-year-old winger becomes the ninth addition of the summer window for Spurs, who have invested more than £300 million in rebuilding their squad. The move offers Mudryk an immediate return to regular Premier League action just one month after resolving a lengthy anti-doping suspension.
- Transfers from Shakhtar Donetsk to Chelsea in an initial €70 million deal.
- Scores in a 2-0 win against Heidenheim before testing positive for meldonium.
- Appeals four-year Football Association suspension to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
- Cleared to return to competition under revised WADA reporting thresholds.
- Joins Tottenham on a season-long loan with a £75 million buy option.
Resolution of meldonium doping ban
Mudryk had not played a competitive match since 28 November 2024, when he scored for Chelsea in a 2-0 UEFA Conference League victory against Heidenheim. He was provisionally suspended later that month after a urine sample collected on Ukraine national team duty revealed an adverse finding for the prohibited substance meldonium. The Football Association imposed a four-year suspension in January, but Mudryk appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in April.
The case concluded on 31 July 2026 after the FA and the World Anti-Doping Agency agreed that updated scientific reporting thresholds meant the concentration in his original sample would no longer constitute a positive test. Mudryk accepted a suspension equal to the time already served, clearing him to resume competitive football. During his absence, he maintained fitness by training individually on the artificial turf at Uxbridge FC in the English seventh tier before participating in three Chelsea pre-season friendlies in August.
Tactical fit under De Zerbi
The transfer reunites Mudryk with head coach Roberto De Zerbi, who previously coached the attacker during their time together at Shakhtar Donetsk in the 2021–2022 season. Tottenham turned to Mudryk late in the transfer window after missing out on other attacking targets, including Cody Gakpo, who stayed at Liverpool, and Iliman Ndiaye, who joined Manchester City from Everton for £65 million. De Zerbi sought a direct left-sided attacker to complement a newly assembled front line featuring Savio and Omar Marmoush.
Mudryk expressed excitement about linking up with his former coach upon completing the loan agreement.
I'm a player who brings speed and creativity, and I want to help in both the offensive and defensive areas. I want to make the fans excited.
De Zerbi echoed those expectations when discussing the winger's arrival at Tottenham.
He has the quality to change a game with his speed and ability in one-vs-one situations, and is an exciting, attacking talent. I will demand a lot from Misha and it is our job to help him find the best version of himself.
Direct business between London rivals
Mudryk arrived alongside central defender Tosin Adarabioyo, who also completed a switch from Stamford Bridge to Tottenham shortly before the deadline for £7 million. The dual deals make Mudryk and Adarabioyo the first players to transfer directly between Chelsea and Tottenham since goalkeeper Carlo Cudicini in 2009. The 28-year-old Adarabioyo arrives to provide depth behind Jan Paul van Hecke following Kevin Danso's departure to Sunderland on loan with an obligation to buy. Mudryk, who registered 10 goals in 73 appearances for Chelsea following an initial €70 million transfer in January 2023, now begins training with Spurs ahead of the autumn campaign.
