Chelsea Reject Leeds' Initial Bid for Mudryk but Talks Continue

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

Leeds have made the winger a priority and, crucially, Mudryk wants the move. After 20 months out of the game following a positive test for the banned substance meldonium, he is chasing something simple but priceless: regular football. Elland Road, in his mind, offers exactly that.

Leeds’ pitch is straightforward. A straight loan. No option to buy. That structure suits Chelsea, who paid an initial £62 million for Mudryk in 2023 and are reluctant to surrender long-term control over a player they still believe can come good. The first bid may have been rejected, but the framework of the deal is one Chelsea can live with.

If the clubs finally shake hands, Mudryk would become Daniel Farke’s fifth signing of the summer. The German has already brought in Harry Wilson, Tarik Muharemovic, James Trafford and Nico Elvedi as Leeds gear up for their Premier League opener against Nottingham Forest on Saturday. An electric, touchline-hugging winger is the next piece Farke wants for his attack.

Chelsea, meanwhile, are in clear trimming mode under Xabi Alonso as the deadline creeps closer. Big names are already heading for the exit. Axel Disasi has joined Crystal Palace. Benoit Badiashile is on his way to Napoli. Atletico Madrid are finalising a £65m move for Nicolas Jackson. Others, like Liam Delap and Dario Essugo, are still waiting to discover whether they are part of Alonso’s plans or part of the clear-out.

The interest in Mudryk is not limited to Leeds. Brentford tested Chelsea’s resolve earlier in the window, but their proposal included an option to buy, which the Blues flatly refused. Coventry City, who open the season against Arsenal on Friday night, are also keeping a close eye on developments.

There have been whispers of Strasbourg or a switch to Serie A, but those paths look unlikely right now. At 25, Mudryk wants to stay in England and prove himself in the Premier League, not start again on a different continent.

Alonso, asked about the winger’s future, chose calm over drama. “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,” he said, underlining Chelsea’s stance that they will move on their terms, not out of panic.

For now, Mudryk continues to train with the first-team squad at Cobham, his representatives working behind the scenes to find the right short-term landing spot. Leeds are pushing hardest, preparing a revised offer and hoping their willingness to take a pure loan, and to make him central to their attack, tilts the negotiations in their favour.

With the season about to kick off and the deadline looming, the situation is finely poised. One more phone call, one more improved proposal, and Mudryk’s next chapter could begin in front of the Elland Road crowd.