Madonna is to trying to adopt a second child from the impoverished African country of Malawi, officials said on Thursday.
An official at the Malawi welfare department said the pop star had filed adoption papers.
Another person in Malawi close to the case said Madonna would be in Malawi this weekend, and a court could hear her adoption case as soon as on Monday.
A US government official confirmed that an adoption bid by Madonna was under way. They all spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the subject.
Madonna spokeswoman Liz Rosenberg in New York would not comment.
Madonna's adoption of a Malawian boy in 2008 raised questions about whether rules had been broken for the singer because foreign adoptions were not allowed.
There have been rumors for some time that she wanted to adopt a girl from Malawi, where she runs a charity.