diff --git a/src/network/networkd-nexthop.c b/src/network/networkd-nexthop.c
index 81eb85b4a0..0e453e1597 100644
--- a/src/network/networkd-nexthop.c
+++ b/src/network/networkd-nexthop.c
@@ -784,11 +784,6 @@ static bool nexthop_is_ready_to_configure(Link *link, const NextHop *nexthop) {
         if (nexthop_bound_to_link(nexthop)) {
                 assert(nexthop->ifindex == link->ifindex);
 
-                if (link->set_flags_messages > 0)
-                        return false;
-                if (!link_is_up(link))
-                        return false;
-
                 return gateway_is_ready(link, FLAGS_SET(nexthop->flags, RTNH_F_ONLINK), nexthop->family, &nexthop->gw.address);
         }
 
diff --git a/src/network/networkd-route-util.c b/src/network/networkd-route-util.c
index 37ace2d335..3a7156fc41 100644
--- a/src/network/networkd-route-util.c
+++ b/src/network/networkd-route-util.c
@@ -139,6 +139,12 @@ bool gateway_is_ready(Link *link, bool onlink, int family, const union in_addr_u
         assert(link);
         assert(link->manager);
 
+        if (link->set_flags_messages > 0)
+                return false;
+
+        if (!link_is_up(link))
+                return false;
+
         if (onlink)
                 return true;