An official at the Malawi welfare department said Thursday that the pop star has filed adoption papers.
Another person in Malawi close to the case says that Madonna will be in Malawi this weekend and a court could hear her adoption case as soon as Monday.
They both spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the subject.
Madonna's adoption of a Malawian boy in 2008 stirred controversy over foreign adoptions and raised questions about whether rules had been broken for the singer.
There have been rumors for some time that she was keen to adopt a girl from Malawi where she runs a charity.
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