SAN DIEGO -- The San Diego Chargers announced Thursday a 5-year deal to move their training camp in 2003 to a sports complex being built in Carson by billionaire Philip Anschutz, 10News reported.

The deal, rumored for weeks, is sure to fuel speculation that the Chargers are poised to move their franchise to Los Angeles, possibly to play in a stadium that Anschutz wants to build in the South Park area near Staples Center, the Los Angeles Times reported.

The Los Angeles City Council voted to adopt a redevelopment plan that has provisions that could be used for the complex land acquisition and financial arrangements required to build a football stadium.

Anschutz has said that he is interested in a privately financed stadium, a rarity among modern sports venues.

NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue has met with representatives of Anschutz's group about the stadium proposal and said he is encouraged it would help bring the NFL back to Los Angeles, according to The Times.

Tim Leiweke, president of Anschutz Entertainment Group, and Casey Wasserman, owner of the Arena Football's L.A. Avengers, meet in New York Thursday with NFL executives for further discussions.

Anschutz broke ground in February on a $120 million sports facility at Cal State Dominguez Hills.

Although they are free to leave their training facility at the University of California San Diego at any time, the Chargers have a contract to play their games at publicly owned Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego through 2020.

But the contract has a clause that would allow owner Alex Spanos to "shop" for a new city in 2004 if the team exceeds certain salary restrictions imposed by the NFL.

The relationship between the team and City Hall has been rocky, largely over a ticket-guarantee deal that has cost taxpayers $25.3 million since 1997. Politicians have pleaded with the Chargers without success to renegotiate.

There has never been a suggestion that the Chargers' training facility at UCSD is inadequate.

But Chargers' General Manager John Butler has said that he would like to get the team away from the distractions of San Diego's beaches and nightlife for their preseason training, The Times reported. New Coach Marty Schottenheimer is renown for running one of the toughest training camps in the NFL.

Charger President Dean Spanos has had preliminary discussions with San Diego officials about the need to replace Qualcomm, one of the oldest stadiums in the NFL.

But in light of the long-running controversy over building a ballpark for the Padres, San Diego officials have shown little interest in replacing Qualcomm to placate the Chargers, who have a 6-26 record over the last two seasons.