Liverpool Star Luis Diaz Told Not Meet Family In Colombia Amid Search For Kidnapped Father

Liverpool forward Luis Diaz has been urged not to travel to Colombia as police have expanded their search for his kidnapped father.

Diaz, currently in a very helpless situation, has reportedly been asked to stay put in the UK and not come home to Colombia for safety reasons, according to a source close to his family, as per reports circulating in English media.

The Colombian international's mother Cilenis Marulanda and father Luis Manuel Díaz were abducted at gunpoint on Saturday (Oct. 28), by some men on motorcycles when they were at a gas station in the small town of Barrancas.

Diaz's mother was rescued by police within hours after they had set up roadblocks around the town of 40,000 people, which is close to Colombia's border with Venezuela. As Diaz's father remains missing, the police are not ruling out the possibility that the senior Diaz could have been smuggled into Venezuela, where he would be beyond the reach of Colombian police.

Special forces comprising the police air and land patrols on Monday searched across a mountain range that straddles both countries and is covered by cloud forest, but there was no luck. So far, none of the armed groups functioning in Colombia has claimed responsibility for kidnapping Diaz's parents.

It was earlier reported that authorities in Colombia have announced a reward of £40,000 (200m pesos) for any information leading to the return of Diaz's missing father. Soon after news broke about the kidnapping of Diaz's parents, the army and police immediately began to work together. They have set up roadblocks and positioned two motorised units, unmanned aircraft, helicopters and a plane with radar in the search for Diaz's father.

Díaz, one of the most talented players on Colombia's national side, joined Liverpool during the 2022 January transfer window and soon became an integral part of Jurgen Klopp's set-up.

The 26-year-old playmaker missed Liverpool's 3-0 win over Nottingham Forest in the Premier League on Sunday. The Reds boss Jurgen Klopp dedicated the victory to Diaz, saying they had won "for our brother".

Diogo Jota, after scoring the opening goal against Forest, paid a heart-warming tribute to Diaz. Surrounded by his teammates, Jota held up the Colombia player's No. 7 shirt, in front of a jam-packed Anfield. Even after the game, most of the Liverpool squad put up social media posts as they dedicated their victory to Diaz.

Before the kick-off at Anfield on Sunday, Klopp said it was a "worrying situation for all of us". After the victory, the German boss admitted that the team received the news the previous night and it was the most difficult he had ever had.

Liverpool's next match is against Bournemouth in the League Cup on Wednesday.