SAN DIEGO -- The San Diego Chargers said Wednesday that the team received the call it had been expecting from the group proposing to build a new football stadium in Los Angeles, but put off discussions for a few months.

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Following the Chargers' announcement May 9 that the team's practice facility would be moved to the Los Angeles area, speculation has been rampant that the franchise will move there once a contract clause opens after the 2003 season.

The Anschutz Entertainment Group, which is involved in the Chargers practice facility deal, wants to build a new stadium in downtown Los Angeles.

A representative of AEG called the Chargers Tuesday, said Chargers adviser Mark Fabiani, a former deputy mayor of Los Angeles.

In outlining the Chargers' response to Anschutz's approach, Fabiani restated the team's quest for a better deal.

"The Chargers responded to this call by emphasizing that the team's desire is to remain in San Diego while keeping the team financially competitive with its NFL rivals over the long term," Fabiani said.

The team, which is seeking a new stadium in San Diego, will review the Los Angeles proposal "at some point in the future," Fabiani said. But "the team's first priority is to focus on establishing a productive dialogue with the city of San Diego."

Team representatives told the AEG that the Chargers won't discuss the proposed Los Angeles stadium until the middle of summer, Fabiani said.

Fabiani added the team's goal is to make progress with the city "toward a solution that will be acceptable to our community."

Mayor Dick Murphy, in a statement through his press secretary, called it a positive development.

"We are pleased that the Chargers remain committed to staying in San Diego," he said. "The city will continue to work toward this goal."

The Chargers have a contract to play their games at publicly owned Qualcomm Stadium through 2020. But a clause would allow Spanos to "shop" the team to other cities in 2004 if it exceeds certain National Football League salary restrictions.

Murphy Tuesday disclosed details about the the city group working with the Chargers about a possible new stadium.

The mayor said then that he feels an obligation to do what he can to keep the Chargers in town, but also said he doesn't think there is public support to spend public money on a new stadium.

In an April 22 letter to Murphy, Chargers President Dean Spanos said Qualcomm Stadium isn't "an economically viable longterm option for the Chargers."

He also said the team would likely be in a position to trigger its renegotiation right this year.

Spanos concluded the letter this way: "Dick, I am eager to get started and am confident that we can work together to build a new home for the Chargers in San Diego."

In response, Murphy assembled what he called "an informal working group" to look at the city's options with the team.

The group includes representatives of the city attorney and city manager, and a sports franchise attorney and sports facility consultant who have worked with the city on the Padres ballpark.

Attorney Mike Aguirre filed suit Friday to stop what he called "secret meetings" between city officials and the Chargers.

He held news conferences Tuesday and Wednesday to make his case that the city is on track to use public funds to help the team "make up any shortfall" when compared to teams that make more money.

With a lawsuit filed, Murphy isn't responding directly to Aguirre's comments.