diff --git a/Source/cmGeneratorTarget.cxx b/Source/cmGeneratorTarget.cxx
index ca18f5326e..51742cf67f 100644
--- a/Source/cmGeneratorTarget.cxx
+++ b/Source/cmGeneratorTarget.cxx
@@ -6255,22 +6255,21 @@ bool cmGeneratorTarget::IsLinkLookupScope(std::string const& n,
   return false;
 }
 
-void cmGeneratorTarget::LookupLinkItems(std::vector<std::string> const& names,
-                                        cmListFileBacktrace const& bt,
-                                        std::vector<cmLinkItem>& items) const
+cm::optional<cmLinkItem> cmGeneratorTarget::LookupLinkItem(
+  std::string const& n, cmListFileBacktrace const& bt) const
 {
+  cm::optional<cmLinkItem> maybeItem;
   cmLocalGenerator const* lg = this->LocalGenerator;
-  for (std::string const& n : names) {
-    if (this->IsLinkLookupScope(n, lg)) {
-      continue;
-    }
-
-    std::string name = this->CheckCMP0004(n);
-    if (name == this->GetName() || name.empty()) {
-      continue;
-    }
-    items.push_back(this->ResolveLinkItem(name, bt, lg));
+  if (this->IsLinkLookupScope(n, lg)) {
+    return maybeItem;
   }
+
+  std::string name = this->CheckCMP0004(n);
+  if (name == this->GetName() || name.empty()) {
+    return maybeItem;
+  }
+  maybeItem = this->ResolveLinkItem(name, bt, lg);
+  return maybeItem;
 }
 
 void cmGeneratorTarget::ExpandLinkItems(
@@ -6295,7 +6294,12 @@ void cmGeneratorTarget::ExpandLinkItems(
   cmExpandList(cge->Evaluate(this->LocalGenerator, config, headTarget,
                              &dagChecker, this, headTarget->LinkerLanguage),
                libs);
-  this->LookupLinkItems(libs, cge->GetBacktrace(), items);
+  for (std::string const& lib : libs) {
+    if (cm::optional<cmLinkItem> maybeItem =
+          this->LookupLinkItem(lib, cge->GetBacktrace())) {
+      items.emplace_back(std::move(*maybeItem));
+    }
+  }
   hadHeadSensitiveCondition = cge->GetHadHeadSensitiveCondition();
   hadContextSensitiveCondition = cge->GetHadContextSensitiveCondition();
   hadLinkLanguageSensitiveCondition =
@@ -6903,7 +6907,12 @@ const cmLinkInterface* cmGeneratorTarget::GetImportLinkInterface(
                           iface.HadContextSensitiveCondition,
                           iface.HadLinkLanguageSensitiveCondition);
     std::vector<std::string> deps = cmExpandedList(info->SharedDeps);
-    this->LookupLinkItems(deps, cmListFileBacktrace(), iface.SharedDeps);
+    for (std::string const& dep : deps) {
+      if (cm::optional<cmLinkItem> maybeItem =
+            this->LookupLinkItem(dep, cmListFileBacktrace())) {
+        iface.SharedDeps.emplace_back(std::move(*maybeItem));
+      }
+    }
   }
 
   return &iface;
diff --git a/Source/cmGeneratorTarget.h b/Source/cmGeneratorTarget.h
index 2935e0bce0..dbc47b8f7e 100644
--- a/Source/cmGeneratorTarget.h
+++ b/Source/cmGeneratorTarget.h
@@ -1039,9 +1039,8 @@ private:
                        bool& hadHeadSensitiveCondition,
                        bool& hadContextSensitiveCondition,
                        bool& hadLinkLanguageSensitiveCondition) const;
-  void LookupLinkItems(std::vector<std::string> const& names,
-                       cmListFileBacktrace const& bt,
-                       std::vector<cmLinkItem>& items) const;
+  cm::optional<cmLinkItem> LookupLinkItem(std::string const& n,
+                                          cmListFileBacktrace const& bt) const;
 
   std::vector<BT<std::string>> GetSourceFilePaths(
     std::string const& config) const;
diff --git a/Source/cmTargetLinkLibrariesCommand.cxx b/Source/cmTargetLinkLibrariesCommand.cxx
index aecc18e3ac..3423b30dcd 100644
--- a/Source/cmTargetLinkLibrariesCommand.cxx
+++ b/Source/cmTargetLinkLibrariesCommand.cxx
@@ -565,7 +565,7 @@ void TLL::AffectsProperty(std::string const& prop)
   if (!this->EncodeRemoteReference) {
     return;
   }
-  // Add a wrapper to the expression to tell LookupLinkItems to look up
+  // Add a wrapper to the expression to tell LookupLinkItem to look up
   // names in the caller's directory.
   if (this->Props.insert(prop).second) {
     this->Target->AppendProperty(prop, this->DirectoryId);