Boreham Wood accept Vardy-beating record fee for Abdulmalik

What the report says

Swedish side Djurgardens have agreed to sign Boreham Wood winger Abdul Abdulmalik for a fee thought to be more than £1.5m, according to BBC Sport Football. The reported deal is described as a National League record for a player from England’s fifth tier and would surpass the previous benchmark set in 2012, when Leicester City paid Fleetwood Town £1m for Jamie Vardy.

BBC Sport says the 23-year-old is in Sweden undergoing a medical after the clubs reached agreement on Sunday morning. Abdulmalik had a standout season for Boreham Wood, scoring 17 goals and adding 10 assists as the club reached the National League play-off final. He also contributed a goal and an assist at Wembley, although Boreham Wood narrowly missed out on promotion to League Two.

The transfer ends a prolonged dispute over his future. Boreham Wood had already turned down earlier offers of £1m and £1.5m this summer, while other English clubs, including Peterborough United, were also linked with him. Abdulmalik, a former Millwall academy player and England Under-17 international, had scored in his final appearance for Boreham Wood before later making himself unavailable as he pushed for a move.

Djurgardens are based in Stockholm and are competing near the top of Sweden’s Allsvenskan, where they remain in contention for European qualification. The move underlines the growing value of standout players in England’s non-league system.