The 29-year-old was the firm favourite to win last year's season on the hit reality TV show, but in the end Melbourne plumber Lee Elliot quietly stole Georgia Love's heart.

Fans have speculated for months that Matty J will return to the popular television franchise that catapulted him into the spotlight.

Those rumours appear to be firming up, at least in part, with The Daily Mail reporting that the 29-year-old was whisked to a 'safe house' in Sydney to prepare for season five of The Bachelor Australia. He was snapped leaving his house on Monday, with a production staffer thought to be Dean Tocchini carrying his bags into a waiting taxi.

Tocchini worked as a story producer on series four of The Bachelor, and has also worked on other reality television shows such as The Real Housewives of Sydney.

Radio Station Nova has also pointed out that Matty J's contract with a Sydney marketing firm came to an end in January.

A Network Ten spokesperson refused to confirm or deny that Matty J will be the 2017 Bachelor.

"There has been much unfounded speculation about the identity of The Bachelor for the highly anticipated 2017 season of The Bachelor Australia," she said. "We are looking forward to letting Australia know who will be the next Bachelor soon."

The rumours appear to not be phasing the 29-year-old, who posted a photo of himself playing a spot of tennis Tuesday afternoon. 

Should Matty J be officially announced as this year's Network 10 heartthrob, contestants hailing from Sydney should have a hometown advantage. During the 2016 Bachelorette, Matty's family made it clear they did not want him to leave the NSW capital and also wanted him to settle down and have kids as soon as possible.

Warner Bros, the production company behind the fourth season of The Bachelor, has been contacted for comment.