Our sources say Britney has made her intentions clear ... she wants to go back in the studio, but there's a lot that has to fall into place before that happens. We're told she hasn't picked a producer and there are no writers tapped to pen the songs, but she wants back in the game.

We're told she has no plans -- at least for now -- to perform in Vegas or anywhere else.

One more thing ... we're told Britney wants to take dance lessons, and toward that end ... she's already gone to a public dance studio and loved it.

Britney is waiting to hear her fate Friday ... whether the judge ends her conservatorship which has now run for 13 years. The judge in the case has 4 options -- end the conservatorship today, refuse to end it, order a medical evaluation or agree to end it but only if there are guardrails in place.

We know her personal conservatorship, Jodi Montgomery, will stay on to tend to Britney's personal needs, and her lawyer, Mathew Rosengart, has a financial advisor on board to help Brit with money matters. And, as Britney said in court back in June, she will continue with therapy.