Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has revealed that negotiations to free Luis Diaz's father from the gang who kidnapped him and his wife last week are progressing positively.
The Reds were rocked by the news that Diaz's parents had been taken at gunpoint by armed criminals near their hometown of Barrancas, which broke on the morning of their Premier League clash with Nottingham Forest.
Diaz was unsurprisingly absent from the squad to face the Tricky Trees and received a token of support from his teammates, as Diogo Jota held up his jersey after opening the scoring on the day.
The winger's mother was quickly rescued, but his father has remained missing, seeing Diaz also sit out Wednesday's 2-1 win over Bournemouth in the fourth round of the EFL Cup.
It was subsequently revealed that the gang responsible for the couple's kidnapping were the National Liberation Army, a Colombian guerrilla group also known as the ELN.
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Authorities soon began negotiating the release of Diaz's father, and the ELN confirmed in a statement to local media last week that they would begin the process to free him.
Diaz had been in training with Liverpool ahead of the trip to Luton Town on Sunday evening, although Klopp stated that it would be up to the player to decide whether he was in the right headspace to return to action.
The 26-year-old did declare himself fit to take on Rob Edwards's side and was named on the bench before coming on for the final 10 minutes and heading home a dramatic equaliser in the fifth minute of injury time, rescuing a 1-1 draw for his side in the process.
Prior to kickoff, Klopp confirmed to Sky Sports News that negotiations are moving in the right direction, and the football pitch could provide Diaz with a welcome escape from the worrying situation in his homeland.
"It is still emotional but he decided three days ago that he wanted to train again. The football pitch is a safe place for the boys and somewhere where he can, for a few minutes at least, forget about what is going on," Klopp said.
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"All the signs he is getting are positive. Negotiations are ongoing but they are positive and that is why he wanted to be part of the team. He trained well and he can come on, there is no issue with that side of things, that is why he is here."
It was unclear whether Diaz had planned to return to Colombia to assist in the search, but the former Porto man was advised against travelling to South America out of fear for his own safety.
The attacker's heroic cameo appearance at Kenilworth Road took his total statistics for Liverpool to 15 goals and nine assists in 59 matches for Klopp's side since his arrival in January 2022.
The Reds will now travel to Toulouse for Thursday's Europa League contest before resuming their Premier League campaign at home to Brentford next Sunday afternoon.
