Source: Madonna Plans to Raise Her Kids in New York

By K.C. Baker and Ryan Pienciak

10/20/2008 at 01:00 PM EDT

Though Madonna has spent much of her nearly-8-year marriage to filmmaker Guy Ritchie in London, don't expect her to settle there after her world tour ends later this year.

"Madonna is a New Yorker," says one source close to the Michigan-born singer. "She will probably want to raise the kids in New York."

The pop star – whose rep, Liz Rosenberg, confirms the split with Ritchie but tells the Associated Press that a settlement "has not been finalized" – has homes in New York City, Los Angeles, London and in Wiltshire, England.

Why did Madonna, 50, end up living in London? "In a marriage there are compromises," says the source. "[Living in London] was one of them."

As for her children – Lourdes, 12, Rocco, 8, and David, 3 – they are homeschooled, so a move would not involve uprooting them from classes. "She plans on keeping the kids with her," adds the source.

According to another source, the marriage faltered for a number of reasons, including the singer's "spiritual, emotional and romantic" bond with New York Yankees power-hitter Alex Rodriguez.

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