GEORGE CLOONEY - CLOONEY BIDS TO BUY ITALIAN BEACH

Hollywood heart-throb GEORGE CLOONEY is reportedly at the centre of a bidding war to purchase a private beach in front of his luxurious Italian villa.

The movie hunk owns a lavish mansion in the town of Laglio in the Lake Como area and is desperate to buy the idyllic spot beside his home, reports Britain's THE SUN newspaper.

Clooney hopes the purchase of the beach would insure his privacy, however some locals disagree.

Local councilor ROBERTO POZZI says, "The stretch is one of the few accessible points to the water.

Last summer (04), Clooney played host to his celebrity pals BRAD PITT, JENNIFER ANISTON, JULIA ROBERTS and MATT DAMON during the making of OCEAN'S TWELVE.