Raiders Are Poised to Return to Oakland : Football: Davis apparently is ready to move NFL team north if legal details can be worked out.

Al Davis has decided to move the Raiders back to Oakland, but the deal will not be finalized until legal details are worked out, The Times has learned.

Amy Trask, a Raider lawyer, had reservations this morning on a flight to Oakland, where she will try to complete a transaction to move the team to the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, leaving Los Angeles without an NFL team for the first time in 49 years.

Reports from the Bay Area on Wednesday that the Raiders’ move was a “done deal” were premature simply because Davis has made such decisions before --and then changed his mind.

Less than two weeks ago, Davis tentatively agreed to a lucrative offer from Hollywood Park to play in a proposed $250-million stadium in Inglewood that would host two Super Bowls. But on the morning of the celebration party, he said he needed more time to think about it.

Sources said if this decision is indeed final, it would be because Davis became extremely concerned that construction of the new stadium would not be completed by 1997, forcing him to spend three years in the Los Angeles Coliseum.

When Davis’ request for monetary guarantees was denied by both the league and Hollywood Park, he decided he would be more comfortable moving back to the smaller market where he and his team were revered for 22 years. Over league objections, the Raiders moved to Los Angeles in 1982, Davis prevailing in a lengthy, bitter lawsuit brought by the NFL.

The league is expected to convene an owners’ meeting within the next few weeks to allow Davis to plead his case for a move. If his request is denied, the league could sue, but such action could not stop Davis from moving this season.

The Raiders would be leaving town on the heels of the Rams, who left Anaheim for St. Louis earlier this year.

Los Angeles fans face the prospect of not having a pro football team for at least one, and perhaps two, seasons.

The league intends to bring one existing and one expansion team to the area, but only after construction begins on a modern stadium that would be attractive to potential owners.

The league is expected to reopen negotiations with Hollywood Park officials, but, without ties to the Raiders, the racetrack becomes only one of several stadium candidates.

Michael Eisner, Disney chairman, and Michael Ovitz, Creative Artists Agency chairman, both have contacted the league with ideas for stadiums.

Eisner would build in Orange County, Ovitz in the Los Angeles area.

Rose Bowl officials already have met with an architectural firm to discuss renovating the stadium for possible NFL occupation, while a longshot group from Long Beach also has expressed interest.

The leading candidates for relocation are the Cleveland Browns and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, with both having leases that are either ending soon or easily terminated.

In the meantime, network television will answer many local fans’ dreams by bringing them three daytime games every Sunday, one more than the usual fare when there was a team in town.

Davis’ problems with the Hollywood Park deal, which seemed so promising only a month ago:

--He is not convinced that an Environmental Impact Report could be completed in time for the stadium construction to begin in Inglewood in November.

--Even if construction begins as scheduled, Davis is not convinced it could be completed by 1997.

--He dislikes the idea of playing in the decaying Coliseum for two more years, and cannot stand the thought of remaining there for a third season if the new stadium is delayed.

--He is worried that once he commits to staying in Los Angeles, he must change his business habits. He must hire a marketing department, openly promote his players and become more receptive to the public.

--He feels he has a team capable of reaching the Super Bowl and is putting it at a disadvantage by remaining in the L.A. Coliseum, where he doesn’t see a home-field advantage.

He has told friends that moving to the Oakland Coliseum would be worth an additional four to six points a game. At age 65, Davis feels his time to win additional Super Bowls may be running out.

Reached late Wednesday night, Davis refused to confirm or deny having made a final decision.

As of late Wednesday night, George Vukasin, president of the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, said he still had not been contacted by Davis.

“I did hear that an announcement would be made [today],” Vukasin said. “I’m not sure what that announcement will be.”

Oakland Coliseum officials have agreed to make $85-million worth of improvements in their stadium by the start of the 1996 season. Capacity would be enlarged from 54,500 to 65,000 and the number of luxury boxes would be increased from 57 to 175.

L.A. Coliseum Commission President John Ferraro said that, until Davis formally announces a decision, “I will assume that the Raiders will be playing in the Coliseum this fall.”

Another commissioner, Steve Soboroff, also said he remains hopeful that arrangements will be worked out with Davis for the Raiders to play in the Coliseum for at least two years.

Times staff writers Mike Downey and Kenneth Reich contributed to this story.