Axel Springer interested in Polish newspaper group

WARSAW, June 26 (Reuters) - German media group Axel Springer (SPRGn.DE) has contacted the Polish treasury about buying its 49-percent stake in Presspublica, which publishes Poland's number three non-tabloid daily, a company spokesman said on Thursday.

"The day before yesterday we sent a letter to the Treasury Ministry to express our interest in buying Presspublica or PW Rzeczpospolita," said Michal Fijol, spokesman for Springer's Polish unit.

Poland holds 49 percent of Presspublica through PW Rzeczpospolita. The remaining stake is held by London-listed European newspaper group Mecom (MEC.L), which declined to comment.

Fijol would not say whether Springer contacted Mecom.

A treasury spokesman declined to comment, but a close source to the ministry confirmed it received a letter from Springer, which was first reported by the Gazeta Wyborcza daily.

The German group publishes Poland's top tabloid newspaper, Fakt, but its other newspaper, Dziennik, has struggled in its battle with Gazeta Wyborcza, published by Agora AGOD.WA.

Reuters reported in March that Springer and Mecom had also shown some interest in Agora.

Poland's centre-right government and Mecom have been at odds over the direction for Presspublica, which publishes Rzeczpospolita daily, along with business newspaper Parkiet.

Rzeczpospolita newspaper has struggled financially in recent years, but has regained some ground in recent months as circulation of other dailies dropped.

Rzeczpospolita has also been criticised by some politicians and journalists for backing the previous conservative cabinet of Jaroslaw Kaczynski and his brother Lech, the president.

Before leaving office in November, Kaczynski's government approached Mecom to buy the state stake, but the discussions sparked a controversy and failed to lead to a deal. (Reporting by Chris Borowski; Editing by Paul Bolding)