What the papers say

Liverpool midfielder Luis Diaz has become a summer transfer target for Paris St Germain, according to the Daily Mail, as the club looks to replace French star Kylian Mbappe, who will leave for Real Madrid. Diaz joined Liverpool from Forto and has excelled at Anfield, scoring six goals with three assists in 27 Premier League games.

Chelsea are interested in Lille defender Leny Yoro as they look to replace 39-year-old Brazilian centre-back Thiago Silva, the Standard says.

The Telegraph says Newcastle are hoping to accelerate sporting manager Dan Ashworth’s exit to Manchester United. Monaco’s Paul Mitchell is apparently at the top of the pile to replace him.

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Marcus Rashford: The Manchester United striker is not expected to move to Paris St Germain this summer despite being touted as the replacement for Mbappe, according to Sky Sports.

Douglas Luiz: Aston Vila are confident they will keep the 25-year-old despite Arsenal setting their sights on the Brazilian midfielder, 90min reports.

Liverpool have confirmed an “ongoing situation involving the family of Luis Diaz” amid reports the forward’s parents were kidnapped in Colombia.

Colombia’s president has said Diaz’s mother “has been rescued” but his father remains missing.

“Liverpool Football Club can confirm it is aware of an ongoing situation involving the family of Luis Diaz in Colombia,” read a club statement.

“It is our fervent hope that the matter is resolved safely and at the earliest possible opportunity. In the meantime, the player’s welfare will continue to be our immediate priority.”

Colombia president Gustavo Petro said on X, formerly known as Twitter: “In an operation in Barrancas, Luis Diaz’s mother has been rescued, we continue the search for the father.”

The country’s football federation said in a statement that the kidnapping was regrettable and urged authorities to rescue Diaz’s father.

“The Colombian Football Federation rejects the security situation that the parents of our player Luis Díaz are going through,” they said.

“From the FCF we express our solidarity with him and his entire family and we call for the relevant authorities to act as quickly as possible to resolve the situation.”

Liverpool signed Diaz from Porto in January 2022 in an initial £37.5million deal that included a potential extra £12.5million in add-ons.

The 26-year-old winger has made 11 appearances this season and scored three goals.

Diaz did not feature in Liverpool’s 5-1 Europa League victory over Toulouse on Thursday but had been expected to return for Nottingham Forest’s Premier League visit to Anfield on Sunday.

The official responsible for Saturday’s VAR blunder broke his own golden rule when he wrongly ruled out Luis Diaz’s goal for Liverpool at Tottenham, a new book has revealed.

Darren England submitted to a Q&A for ‘The Football School Encyclopedia’ in which, asked ‘What is the hardest part of the job?’ he responds: “Making sure you do not make a mistake that impacts the outcome of the match.

“This is the worst thing for us.”

By a remarkable quirk of timing, the book, which is written by Alex Bellos and Ben Lyttleton and aimed at younger readers, will be published on Thursday and offers insight into one of those responsible for what veteran former referee Keith Hackett described in the Telegraph as an episode of “staggering incompetence”.

England and his VAR assistant Dan Cook have been stood down from future appointments while Professional Game Match Officials Limited chiefs undertake a full review of the “significant human error” that it concedes was made during the game.

In the Q&A, which was conducted prior to the incident, England continues: “I try to prepare the same way for every match, which is to stay calm and relaxed.

“During the match I remain very focused and just take each decision I need to make, one at a time.

“I do not worry about past decisions in the game as it is all about the next decision.”

The Football School Encyclopedia is aimed at younger readers and boasts its appeal to “anyone with a thirst for knowledge, amazing true stories, terrific trivia, brain-busting quizzes, eye-popping colour, laugh-out-loud cartoons on every page – and everything you want to know about football!”