Manager Xabi Alonso hailed Mykhailo Mudryk's "emotional" return from a doping ban as the winger played for Chelsea for the first time in nearly two years in a 1-0 friendly defeat to Juventus in Hong Kong on Wednesday.

The Premier League has never been afraid of change. Players come and go, fortunes rise and fall, owners rewrite club identities almost overnight. Yet for nearly four decades there was always a familiar figure standing in one of English football's biggest technical areas.

The 36-year-old won the Premier League and Champions League with Liverpool. He left Anfield for Saudi club Al-Ettifaq in 2023, moving to Ajax six months later.

Chelsea have signed experienced midfielder Jordan Henderson on a two-year contract following his departure from Brentford, the Premier League club said on Monday.

Valentin Barco became Chelsea's seventh signing of the transfer window on Sunday after joining from sister club Strasbourg on a seven-year deal.

The 35-year-old striker completed a reported £5 million move from Brighton on Sunday, signing a two-year deal at Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea have signed experienced striker Danny Welbeck on a two-year deal from fellow Premier League club Brighton & Hove Albion, the London side said on Saturday.

Mykhailo Mudryk will be welcomed with open arms when he rejoins Chelsea this week in Hong Kong, manager Xabi Alonso said, but the Ukrainian will not be rushed back after winning his appeal against a doping ban.

Chelsea winger Mykhailo Mudryk has been cleared to resume his career after the Football Association and the World Anti-Doping Agency "resolved his appeal" against a ban for failing a doping test.

Chelsea playmaker Cole Palmer said on Friday he has a point to prove this season after missing out on England's World Cup squad, while hailing new manager Xabi Alonso as a "breath of fresh air".

Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso got his reign off to a winning start on Tuesday in a dramatic 6-4 victory over Western Sydney Wanderers, with Brazilian striker Joao Pedro scoring a late nine-minute hat-trick to ensure victory.

England midfielder Morgan Rogers is an ideal signing for Chelsea and could form an exciting partnership with midfielder Cole Palmer, new manager Xabi Alonso said on Monday.

"The 23-year-old forward has signed a contract at Stamford Bridge until 2033," the London club posted on their web site.

Los Blancos are set to sign Liverpool defender Ibrahima Konate at the end of his contract at Anfield and have been linked with Bernardo Silva and Inter Milan's Denzel Dumfries.

The Blues lost the FA Cup final to Manchester City on Saturday and lie ninth in the Premier League with two games of the campaign to go.

Xabi Alonso is set to be named as Chelsea's new manager, just four months after being sacked by Real Madrid, according to various media reports on Saturday.

Antoine Semenyo produced one of the great FA Cup final goals with an audacious back-flick that sealed Manchester City's 1-0 win against Chelsea at Wembley on Saturday.

All eyes will be on the Wembley Stadium today as Manchester City take on Chelsea in the FA Cup final.

Australia captain Sam Kerr, Chelsea's all-time leading scorer in English football's Women's Super League, will leave the club when her contract expires at the end of the season, it was announced Thursday.

Chelsea's teenage Brazilian forward Estevao has begun treatment on his hamstring injury back in his homeland in a bid to be fit for the World Cup, a source at Palmeiras told AFP.