National League side Boreham Wood are doing all they can to keep hold of Abdul Abdulmalik after turning down a £1million bid from Swedish outfit Djurgardens.
It is not often such a sizable offer is lodged for a player from the National League, but Djurgardens are big admirers of Abdulmalik and they are eager to acquire his services this summer.
The 23-year-old played a starring role for Boreham Wood last season, scoring 17 goals and registering 10 assists in all competitions as the club narrowly missed out on promotion to League Two.
Luke Garrard's side finished fourth in the NL, winning 27 of their 46 matches, before beating Forest Green Rovers 1-0 after extra-time in the play-off quarter-finals.
A semi-final against Carlisle United was then negotiated courtesy of a 2-1 victory, with Abdulmalik scoring the opening goal at Brunton Park before Zak Brunt grabbed the winner in extra-time.
On to the play-off final against Rochdale at Wembley and Abdulmalik put in another superb performance, as he provided the assist for Matt Rush's opener before getting on the scoresheet himself to make it 2-0.
'Dale would end up coming back to draw the contest 2-2 and after neither team could be separated following an extra 30 minutes, a penalty shootout ensued.
Rochdale won 3-1 on penalties to secure promotion to League Two, leaving Boreham Wood heartbroken and having to prepare for another campaign in the National League.
The Wood are 6/1 to win the title this season and 3/1 to be promoted, while they are 6/4 for a top-three finish and 1/3 to end up in the top seven.
Busy summer for Boreham
Boreham Wood have added five new players to their squad this summer, with Tarryn Allarakhia, Oliver Bainbridge, Tylor Golden, Danny Cashman and Luca Gunter joining on free transfers.
But the most important piece of transfer business will be holding onto the services of Abdulmalik, who has seen Djurgardens fail with a £1m bid to sign him.
It remains to be seen whether the Swedish side return with an improved offer, but if they were to table in excess of £1m then the forward would become the most expensive National League player in regard to a transfer fee.
But the highest fee received relating to a National League transfer involves Max Kilman and his move to West Ham United for £40m in 2024.
The defender was at Maidenhead United from 2015-18 and when the club sold him to Wolves in 2018, they inserted a 10% sell-on clause, meaning they made £4m from his switch to the Hammers.
Abdulmalik has the potential to better Kilman's deal down the line and should Djurgardens opt against returning with an improved offer, there are other clubs rumoured to be interested.
Peterborough United, Leicester City, Doncaster Rovers, Barnsley and Plymouth Argyle are all keeping tabs on his situation, while there are unnamed teams in France also mulling over potential bids.
This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.
