Parents of Liverpool's Luis Díaz kidnapped in Colombia

Colombian President Gustavo Petro said on Saturday that the mother of Liverpool soccer player Luis Díaz had been rescued after being kidnapped in northern Colombia but that officials were still searching for his missing father.

The Colombian attorney general's office earlier said it assembled a team of investigators to search for the couple in Barrancas, a municipality in Colombia's northern La Guajira province.

The National Police confirmed the rescue of Díaz's mother, Cilenis Marulanda, and said she spoke with Director William Rene Salamanca.

Premier League club Liverpool signed Colombia winger Díaz from Portuguese club Porto in a multimillion-dollar deal in January 2022. He has scored 14 goals in 58 appearances for the Premier League giants.

Díaz, 26, has played 43 times for Colombia.

Liverpool will next be in action on Sunday against Bournemouth.

Reuters contributed to this report.