Boreham Wood Reject Record £1.5m Bid for Abdul Abdulmalik as Forward Eyes the Top

Boreham Wood have turned down a £1.5m offer from Swedish club Djurgarden for forward Abdul Abdulmalik, a fee that would have broken the record paid for a player from England's fifth tier (BBC Sport).

The bid topped the £1m Leicester paid Fleetwood Town for Jamie Vardy in 2012 — a transfer that worked out rather well for all parties. Djurgarden had already seen an earlier £1m offer rejected this month before returning with an improved sum. Boreham Wood said no again.

Manager Luke Garrard was blunt. "He is our player," he said after Abdulmalik was left out of the squad for Boreham Wood's 3-0 win over Forest Green — a decision that looked very much like protecting an asset while the window remains open.

Abdulmalik, for his part, is not pretending he wants to stay put. The 20-year-old released a statement through his agent saying he is "ready for the next challenge" and wants to prove he is "capable of reaching the top."

His case is a strong one. Last season — his first as a regular at this level — he scored 17 goals and laid on 10 assists as Boreham Wood reached the National League play-off final at Wembley. He scored and assisted in that final against Rochdale, though it was not enough: Rochdale won on penalties to secure promotion back to the English Football League (Reuters).

The route to this point has not been smooth. Abdulmalik came through Millwall's academy and represented England at under-17 level. He was part of Millwall's Under-21s side that won consecutive Professional Development League South titles in 2022-23 and 2023-24. Then Millwall released him in 2024. Boreham Wood signed him as a free agent — no fee, no fanfare.

What happened next is the kind of story lower-league football specialises in. A player discarded by one club finds another, gets games, and discovers the level was never the problem. One breakout season later, Swedish top-flight football is calling and a seventh-tier club from Hertfordshire is refusing to sell for record money.

The transfer window is still open. Djurgarden may come back. Other clubs may be watching. For now, Boreham Wood hold firm, and Abdulmalik waits.