Trump interested in buying New York Mets

NEW YORK, Feb. 15 (UPI) -- U.S. real estate developer and television celebrity Donald Trump says he's interested in buying a majority stake of the financially troubled New York Mets.

Current principal owner Fred Wilpon has said he's looking for investors in the team after being sued in December by the trustee for the victims of Ponzi scheme fraudster Bernard Madoff, who claims Wilpon, his family and co-Mets owner Saul Katz made more than $300 million from Madoff's activities.

Wilpon and Katz claim they were among the victims of Madoff's multibillion-dollar investment scam.

While Wilpon has said he's looking for minority stakeholders, Trump told Tuesday's New York Times he's only interested in buying the team outright if the current owners are willing to sell a majority share.

Trump, a native of the New York City borough of Queens, told the newspaper he arranged to meet Wilpon about two weeks ago but the meeting has yet to happen.

The Mets had no immediate comment to the Times on Trump's comments.