(Reuters) -Starbucks ( SBUX ) has received "a lot of interest" in the sale of a stake in its China business, its chief executive told the Financial Times in an interview published on Wednesday, as the U.S. coffee chain looks to revive sales in its second-largest market.

"The good news is we've got a lot of interest - a lot of interest," Starbucks ( SBUX ) CEO Brian Niccol told the FT.

"People see the value of the Starbucks brand. They see the coffee category is growing. I think they'd love to be partnering up with us in figuring out how we take this from 8,000 to 20,000 (stores)."

KKR & Co ( KKR ), Fountainvest Partners and PAG are among buyout firms interested in acquiring a stake in Starbucks' ( SBUX ) China business, Reuters reported in February.

(Reporting by Kanjyik Ghosh in Bengaluru; Editing by Saumyadeb Chakrabarty)