Coliseum Has Heard This Before : Raiders: Officials believe Davis will come back, but they say he can forget about another rent-free deal.

If Raider owner Al Davis signs an agreement to move into a new football stadium at Hollywood Park, it will be the third time in the last eight years that officials at the Coliseum have been told the team is on its way elsewhere.

But the Raiders were unable to move to Irwindale, despite a 1987 announcement, and their tentative 1990 deal to move back to Oakland fell apart within weeks. So, despite all the talk now about the Raiders going to Inglewood, Coliseum officials still harbor hopes that the team will be playing there for the foreseeable future.

Again, Coliseum commissioners have adopted a fallback position: They hope Davis will agree to play at the stadium while he waits for his other plans to be realized, and they plan to pursue improvements--luxury suites, more parking and a modernized Exposition Park--while he does.

Then, if a Hollywood Park stadium does not materialize, they hope he will end up staying at the Coliseum of the future.

Coliseum officials expect Davis to make an offer to return to the Coliseum next fall. They said the Coliseum Commission president, John Ferraro, who is also L.A. City Council president, has had two conversations with Davis that were moderately encouraging.

One official said Thursday, however, that the Raiders may try for another rent-free deal, similar to the one they had at the stadium last year.

“I don’t believe a single commissioner will agree to letting the stadium go rent-free again,” the official said, asking not to be identified. “We simply can’t afford to. And we are also talking to USC about a new long-term playing contract. They won’t agree to pay us if Davis gets in again rent-free.”

The Raiders’ apparent main option is Anaheim Stadium.

“They might be prepared to allow the Raiders in rent-free,” a Coliseum aide said. “But I think Davis would prefer not to go to Anaheim, because it would be hard to secure new fans in Orange County and then hope they would follow the team to Inglewood.”

The Raiders did not comment Thursday. But it would be surprising if Davis, or his, attorney, Amy Trask, initiated any offers. They have usually waited for other parties to make offers to them.

The Coliseum Commission, almost out of money, has been trying to get a loan to build at least 21 luxury suites in the same structure as a new press box being built this year, in the conclusion of the Coliseum’s federally financed earthquake repairs.

The prospective lender, however, wants to see a new USC-Coliseum lease before approving the loan, officials said.

Ferraro noted in a letter last week that USC Athletic Director Mike Garrett has expressed support for the suites. “USC has expressed its willingness to sign such a lease if such a commitment is helpful to the Commission’s financing efforts,” Ferraro wrote.

A USC spokesman said Thursday, however, that there have been no formal negotiations on the lease.

The delay in any deal may delay the loan and construction of the luxury suites. It already appears too late to have them ready for the beginning of next season.

In the long run, Coliseum officials are optimistic that their stadium will remain economically viable and will eventually turn sizable profits, even if a professional football team is lost.

Soccer crowds of about 50,000 have turned out for two international matches this year and, with the beginning of Major League Soccer games scheduled next year, Coliseum General Manager Pat Lynch said the stadium could be staging 20 soccer games a year.

“Those games are profitable,” Lynch said. “They pay a percentage of the gate, at least 8% and sometimes more, plus day-of-the-game expenses and the concessions cut. The downside of soccer is that concession revenue isn’t as great, because there are no timeouts. But that might change.”

Don C. Webb, another Coliseum official, said Thursday: “World-class competitive soccer may have the long-term potential of eclipsing football as the dominant sport in the Coliseum.”

There have also been discussions about baseball at the Coliseum next year in a proposed new league.

Meanwhile, there are plans to spend about $18 million in state funds in the next two years to modernize Exposition Park, surrounding the Coliseum, as part of the larger project of rebuilding the Museum of Science and Industry.

The parking lots at the west end of the park, next to Vermont Avenue, will be converted to soccer fields for the community, although they will continue to be used for parking on game days.

Coliseum commissioners hope that improving the park will make the entire area more attractive to Davis and other potential renters.