Greece's Varoufakis says he believes Europe does not want 'Grexit'

LONDON (Reuters) - Greece does not believe its European partners will ultimately let the country leave the euro zone, Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis said on Saturday, as the country races to agree a cash-for-reforms deal with its creditors.

Athens is trying to clinch a deal before an end-June deadline to release the final tranche of a 240 billion euro bailout and avert the risk of the country crashing out of the euro zone.

Asked whether it was possible that Greece could leave the single currency, Varoufakis told the BBC he did not think any European official wanted to see that outcome.

"I don't believe that any sensible European bureaucrat or politician will go down that road," he told BBC Radio Four's Today programme.

Asked whether the European Union and the International Monetary Fund were bluffing Varoufakis said: "I hope they are."

(Reporting By Costas Pitas; Editing by Gareth Jones)