Chelsea Reject Leeds' First Bid for Mudryk: Transfer Update

Chelsea have turned down an opening offer from Leeds United for Mykhailo Mudryk, with the Yorkshire club’s proposal described as well short of the London side’s valuation, according to BBC Sport. The door, though, is very much still open.

Leeds want him. Mudryk wants Leeds. The numbers, for now, don’t add up.

The winger is pushing for a move to Elland Road as he searches for regular football after a turbulent spell out of the game. He spent 20 months sidelined following a positive test for the banned substance meldonium, and with his Chelsea career stalling, the chance of a clean restart under Daniel Farke has serious appeal.

Leeds have surged to the front of the queue because they are prepared to take Mudryk on a straight loan with no option to buy. That suits Chelsea. The club paid an initial £62 million for him in 2023 and are reluctant to give up long-term control over a player they still believe can come good.

For Farke, Mudryk would be another key piece in a busy rebuild. If the deal goes through, the Ukrainian would become Leeds’ fifth summer signing, following Harry Wilson, Tarik Muharemovic, James Trafford and Nico Elvedi. The timing is tight: Leeds kick off their Premier League campaign against Nottingham Forest on Saturday, and the manager wants extra firepower in place as soon as possible.

Chelsea, meanwhile, are in clear squad-trim mode under Xabi Alonso as the deadline looms. The exits are stacking up. Axel Disasi has joined Crystal Palace, Benoit Badiashile is on his way to Napoli, and Atletico Madrid are finalising a £65m move for Nicolas Jackson. Others, including Liam Delap and Dario Essugo, are waiting to learn whether they still have a place in Alonso’s plans.

The Mudryk situation sits right in the middle of that wider clear-out. Chelsea are open to a loan, but only on their terms.

Leeds are not alone in circling. Brentford tested Chelsea’s resolve earlier in the window, but saw a loan offer rejected because they insisted on including an option to buy. Coventry City remain interested as well, with their own season starting on Friday night against Arsenal.

There have been whispers of Strasbourg and Italian clubs as alternatives, yet those routes look unlikely for now. At 25, Mudryk wants to stay in England, rebuild his reputation and prove he can still live with the Premier League’s pace and scrutiny.

Alonso, asked about the winger’s future, kept his cards close to his chest: “We will see, we still have time to decide and we don't have to rush on many decisions and at the right time, we will take them. At the moment, not yet.”

So Mudryk trains on at Cobham, part of the group but not quite part of the plan, while his representatives and Chelsea’s hierarchy work through the details. Leeds are expected to return with a revised proposal, still based on a straight loan, as they chase one more injection of attacking threat before the window slams shut.

The first offer has been rejected. The next one might decide where Mudryk’s career restarts – in front of a restless Elland Road, or back on the fringes at Stamford Bridge.