diff --git a/src/core/manager.c b/src/core/manager.c
index 9a71f5f2e7..e67f7446c7 100644
--- a/src/core/manager.c
+++ b/src/core/manager.c
@@ -1670,6 +1670,42 @@ Unit *manager_get_unit(Manager *m, const char *name) {
         return hashmap_get(m->units, name);
 }
 
+static int manager_dispatch_target_deps_queue(Manager *m) {
+        Unit *u;
+        unsigned k;
+        int r = 0;
+
+        static const UnitDependency deps[] = {
+                UNIT_REQUIRED_BY,
+                UNIT_REQUISITE_OF,
+                UNIT_WANTED_BY,
+                UNIT_BOUND_BY
+        };
+
+        assert(m);
+
+        while ((u = m->target_deps_queue)) {
+                assert(u->in_target_deps_queue);
+
+                LIST_REMOVE(target_deps_queue, u->manager->target_deps_queue, u);
+                u->in_target_deps_queue = false;
+
+                for (k = 0; k < ELEMENTSOF(deps); k++) {
+                        Unit *target;
+                        Iterator i;
+                        void *v;
+
+                        HASHMAP_FOREACH_KEY(v, target, u->dependencies[deps[k]], i) {
+                                r = unit_add_default_target_dependency(u, target);
+                                if (r < 0)
+                                        return r;
+                        }
+                }
+        }
+
+        return r;
+}
+
 unsigned manager_dispatch_load_queue(Manager *m) {
         Unit *u;
         unsigned n = 0;
@@ -1693,6 +1729,11 @@ unsigned manager_dispatch_load_queue(Manager *m) {
         }
 
         m->dispatching_load_queue = false;
+
+        /* Dispatch the units waiting for their target dependencies to be added now, as all targets that we know about
+         * should be loaded and have aliases resolved */
+        (void) manager_dispatch_target_deps_queue(m);
+
         return n;
 }
 
diff --git a/src/core/manager.h b/src/core/manager.h
index 80304a4010..28c5da225b 100644
--- a/src/core/manager.h
+++ b/src/core/manager.h
@@ -144,6 +144,9 @@ struct Manager {
         /* Units whose cgroup ran empty */
         LIST_HEAD(Unit, cgroup_empty_queue);
 
+        /* Target units whose default target dependencies haven't been set yet */
+        LIST_HEAD(Unit, target_deps_queue);
+
         sd_event *event;
 
         /* This maps PIDs we care about to units that are interested in. We allow multiple units to he interested in
diff --git a/src/core/unit.c b/src/core/unit.c
index 90ec73231b..72f475ab14 100644
--- a/src/core/unit.c
+++ b/src/core/unit.c
@@ -649,6 +649,9 @@ void unit_free(Unit *u) {
         if (u->in_cleanup_queue)
                 LIST_REMOVE(cleanup_queue, u->manager->cleanup_queue, u);
 
+        if (u->in_target_deps_queue)
+                LIST_REMOVE(target_deps_queue, u->manager->target_deps_queue, u);
+
         safe_close(u->ip_accounting_ingress_map_fd);
         safe_close(u->ip_accounting_egress_map_fd);
 
@@ -1338,6 +1341,18 @@ int unit_load_fragment_and_dropin_optional(Unit *u) {
         return unit_load_dropin(unit_follow_merge(u));
 }
 
+void unit_add_to_target_deps_queue(Unit *u) {
+        Manager *m = u->manager;
+
+        assert(u);
+
+        if (u->in_target_deps_queue)
+                return;
+
+        LIST_PREPEND(target_deps_queue, m->target_deps_queue, u);
+        u->in_target_deps_queue = true;
+}
+
 int unit_add_default_target_dependency(Unit *u, Unit *target) {
         assert(u);
         assert(target);
@@ -1364,35 +1379,6 @@ int unit_add_default_target_dependency(Unit *u, Unit *target) {
         return unit_add_dependency(target, UNIT_AFTER, u, true, UNIT_DEPENDENCY_DEFAULT);
 }
 
-static int unit_add_target_dependencies(Unit *u) {
-
-        static const UnitDependency deps[] = {
-                UNIT_REQUIRED_BY,
-                UNIT_REQUISITE_OF,
-                UNIT_WANTED_BY,
-                UNIT_BOUND_BY
-        };
-
-        unsigned k;
-        int r = 0;
-
-        assert(u);
-
-        for (k = 0; k < ELEMENTSOF(deps); k++) {
-                Unit *target;
-                Iterator i;
-                void *v;
-
-                HASHMAP_FOREACH_KEY(v, target, u->dependencies[deps[k]], i) {
-                        r = unit_add_default_target_dependency(u, target);
-                        if (r < 0)
-                                return r;
-                }
-        }
-
-        return r;
-}
-
 static int unit_add_slice_dependencies(Unit *u) {
         UnitDependencyMask mask;
         assert(u);
@@ -1521,10 +1507,7 @@ int unit_load(Unit *u) {
         }
 
         if (u->load_state == UNIT_LOADED) {
-
-                r = unit_add_target_dependencies(u);
-                if (r < 0)
-                        goto fail;
+                unit_add_to_target_deps_queue(u);
 
                 r = unit_add_slice_dependencies(u);
                 if (r < 0)
diff --git a/src/core/unit.h b/src/core/unit.h
index e9370a4b93..9f50d81cc8 100644
--- a/src/core/unit.h
+++ b/src/core/unit.h
@@ -231,6 +231,9 @@ struct Unit {
         /* cgroup empty queue */
         LIST_FIELDS(Unit, cgroup_empty_queue);
 
+        /* Target dependencies queue */
+        LIST_FIELDS(Unit, target_deps_queue);
+
         /* PIDs we keep an eye on. Note that a unit might have many
          * more, but these are the ones we care enough about to
          * process SIGCHLD for */
@@ -336,6 +339,7 @@ struct Unit {
         bool in_gc_queue:1;
         bool in_cgroup_realize_queue:1;
         bool in_cgroup_empty_queue:1;
+        bool in_target_deps_queue:1;
 
         bool sent_dbus_new_signal:1;
 
@@ -632,6 +636,7 @@ void unit_add_to_load_queue(Unit *u);
 void unit_add_to_dbus_queue(Unit *u);
 void unit_add_to_cleanup_queue(Unit *u);
 void unit_add_to_gc_queue(Unit *u);
+void unit_add_to_target_deps_queue(Unit *u);
 
 int unit_merge(Unit *u, Unit *other);
 int unit_merge_by_name(Unit *u, const char *other);