Boreham Wood have sanctioned the sale of winger Abdul Abdulmalik to Swedish side Djurgardens in a deal reported to exceed £1.5m, eclipsing the previous record fee paid for a National League player.
The transfer surpasses the £1m Leicester City handed Fleetwood Town in 2012 to sign Jamie Vardy, a deal that had long stood as the benchmark for fifth-tier transfers in English football. Abdulmalik, 23, is currently in Sweden undergoing a medical after the two clubs reached agreement on Sunday morning.
The move brings an end to a protracted transfer saga that had rumbled on for much of the summer. Boreham Wood had twice knocked back offers for the player, first turning down a £1m bid before rejecting an improved £1.5m proposal as they sought to maximise the return on their prized asset. Abdulmalik ultimately forced the issue himself, making himself unavailable for selection after scoring in what proved to be his last appearance for the Hertfordshire club in mid-August, as he pushed to secure his exit.
His departure follows a standout campaign that transformed him into one of non-league football's hottest properties. Across the 2025-26 season, the former Millwall academy product scored 17 goals and laid on 10 assists as Boreham Wood mounted a National League play-off charge that took them all the way to Wembley. Abdulmalik was influential in the final itself, both scoring and creating a goal as the club came agonisingly close to promotion.
His performances did not go unnoticed closer to home either, with English clubs including Peterborough United among those who monitored his situation. However, it was Djurgardens, based in Stockholm, who won the race for his signature.
Abdulmalik's football journey has taken a winding path. Once an England Under-17s international, he was let go by Millwall in 2024 before a trial at Portsmouth failed to yield a contract. His route back into professional football through Boreham Wood and the National League has now culminated in a move to one of Sweden's leading clubs.
Speaking after the deal was struck, Abdulmalik expressed his determination to make the step up count. "I'm ready for the next challenge. I'm ready to prove to myself and those around me that I'm capable of reaching the top," he said.
Djurgardens currently sit fifth in the Allsvenskan, Sweden's top division, which runs from April through to November. The club have two games in hand on most of their divisional rivals and remain firmly in the mix for a European qualification spot as the season heads towards its conclusion.
For Boreham Wood, the sale represents a significant financial windfall for a club operating outside the professional pyramid, and underlines the growing scouting attention being paid to talented individuals performing at National League level. The fee itself stands as a marker for what is achievable for players who impress in England's fifth tier, even after being cast aside by academies at a young age.
As Abdulmalik prepares for life in Scandinavian football, attention will turn to how quickly he can adapt to a new league, culture and style of play, with Djurgardens hopeful his goal-scoring instincts and creative output can help sustain their push for continental football this season.
Based on reporting from BBC Sport.