Boreham Wood Rejects Djurgardens' £1.5m Bid for Abdulmalik

Boreham Wood are digging in. Hard.

The National League club have turned down a second offer from Djurgardens for star winger Abdulmalik, this time worth £1.5m, according to Sky Sports News. The Swedish side had already seen an initial £1m bid rejected earlier this month, and the answer from Meadow Park has not changed.

They do not want to sell.

Club figures at Boreham Wood remain intent on keeping hold of the 23-year-old, despite a summer of growing interest and the financial temptation that comes with seven-figure bids for a fifth-tier side. For them, Abdulmalik is not just an asset. He is the centrepiece of a promotion push.

Djurgardens’ calculated gamble

Djurgardens’ chase is no scattergun punt. It fits a clear plan.

As reported by BBC Sport, the Allsvenskan club are working to a defined recruitment model: identify emerging talent before the price spikes, develop it, then sell on for a substantial profit. It is a system, not a hunch.

That strategy is being driven by sporting director Maximilian Hahn, previously head of recruitment at West Ham United. Hahn knows the English market, and he knows where the value lies. His time in east London, including work alongside current Sweden manager Graham Potter, has given him a network he is now tapping relentlessly.

Those British connections are being used to target players exactly like Abdulmalik – young, hungry, and still affordable enough to flip for serious money later.

From Millwall release to National League star

Abdulmalik’s rise has been rapid.

Released by Millwall and picked up by Boreham Wood on a free transfer in 2024, he arrived with a solid pedigree but little fanfare: youth honours with the Lions and caps for England Under-17s. Promise, not proof.

The proof came last season.

In the 2025-26 campaign he exploded, scoring 17 goals and supplying 10 assists. That output powered him to the National League Young Player of the Season award and turned him from a shrewd signing into the club’s crown jewel.

His performance levels peaked under the arch. A standout display in the play-off final at Wembley pushed his reputation onto a different stage and locked in Djurgardens’ interest. They had already shown they can polish and sell on talent, having helped develop Danish forward August Priske before moving him to Birmingham City in January 2026.

For Hahn and Djurgardens, Abdulmalik looks like the next project. For Boreham Wood, he is the project.

A test of resolve before the deadline

Now comes the real tension.

With the transfer window ticking down, Boreham Wood face a battle not just with bidders, but with time and psychology. Turning down money at this level is one thing. Keeping a young player fully focused while talk of a life-changing move and a seven-figure fee swirls around him is another.

Coaching staff and club executives must protect his mindset, keep him grounded, and convince him that staying – at least for now – aligns with his long-term ambitions. Every training session, every team talk, every quiet word in the corridor matters.

Because for Boreham Wood, Abdulmalik is more than a headline name. His goals, his creativity, his ability to decide games in tight moments are central to their plan to escape the National League and reach the English Football League automatically this season.

Djurgardens have tested their resolve twice. The window is still open.

How long can Boreham Wood keep saying no?