The improved offer follows an initial £750,000 bid that was also rejected, with Djurgården expected to return with a third proposal as they continue to push for a deal, according to Sky Sports.
A fee of £1m would match the record direct sale by an English non-league club, equalling the amount Leicester City paid Fleetwood Town for Jamie Vardy in 2012 before he went on to become a Premier League champion and England international.
Abdulmalik, 23, enjoyed a breakout campaign in 2025-26, scoring around 17 goals with 10 assists as Boreham Wood reached the National League play-off final, where he scored and set up a goal in a penalty shoot-out defeat by Rochdale at Wembley. He was named the division's Young Player of the Season and also helped Boreham Wood win the National League Cup, beating West Ham United's under-21 side in the final.
The forward came through Millwall's academy, progressing through the club's youth system and representing England at under-17 level, and was part of the side that won consecutive Professional Development League South titles in 2022-23 and 2023-24.
A permanent route into Millwall's first team failed to materialise, however, and Abdulmalik was released in 2024. Boreham Wood moved quickly to sign him as a free agent, and the switch has proved transformative, with the winger establishing himself as one of the National League's most exciting attacking players.
Djurgården's interest fits a recruitment strategy built around identifying players before their value peaks and selling for profit. The Swedish club recently appointed Max Hahn as sporting director following his time as head of recruitment at West Ham United, where he also worked under current Sweden manager Graham Potter.
Danish striker August Priske offers a recent example of the model working, having joined Djurgården from Midtjylland in 2024, scored 18 league goals in 2025, and earned a move to Birmingham City in January 2026.
Abdulmalik would represent a different route into that pipeline, arriving from non-league football rather than an established European academy, but Djurgården will hope for a similarly profitable outcome should a fee eventually be agreed.