diff --git a/src/Doctrine/Common/State/PersistProcessor.php b/src/Doctrine/Common/State/PersistProcessor.php
index 2afd1f368ab..85b331ddb0c 100644
--- a/src/Doctrine/Common/State/PersistProcessor.php
+++ b/src/Doctrine/Common/State/PersistProcessor.php
@@ -81,16 +81,37 @@ public function process(mixed $data, Operation $operation, array $uriVariables =
             // We create a new entity through PUT
             } else {
                 foreach (array_reverse($links) as $link) {
-                    if ($link->getExpandedValue() || !$link->getFromClass()) {
+                    if ($link->getExpandedValue() || !($fromClass = $link->getFromClass())) {
                         continue;
                     }
 
                     $identifierProperties = $link->getIdentifiers();
                     $hasCompositeIdentifiers = 1 < \count($identifierProperties);
+                    $toProperty = $link->getToProperty();
+                    $parentManager = $toProperty ? $this->managerRegistry->getManagerForClass($fromClass) : null;
+
+                    if ($toProperty && $parentManager && isset($reflectionProperties[$toProperty]) && method_exists($parentManager, 'getReference')) {
+                        if ($hasCompositeIdentifiers) {
+                            $referenceIdentifier = [];
+                            foreach ($identifierProperties as $identifierProperty) {
+                                $referenceIdentifier[$identifierProperty] = $this->getIdentifierValue($identifiers, $identifierProperty);
+                            }
+                        } else {
+                            $referenceIdentifier = $this->getIdentifierValue($identifiers);
+                        }
+
+                        $reflectionProperties[$toProperty]->setValue($newData, $parentManager->getReference($fromClass, $referenceIdentifier));
+
+                        continue;
+                    }
 
                     foreach ($identifierProperties as $identifierProperty) {
-                        $reflectionProperty = $reflectionProperties[$identifierProperty];
-                        $reflectionProperty->setValue($newData, $this->getIdentifierValue($identifiers, $hasCompositeIdentifiers ? $identifierProperty : null));
+                        if (!isset($reflectionProperties[$identifierProperty])) {
+                            $this->getIdentifierValue($identifiers, $hasCompositeIdentifiers ? $identifierProperty : null);
+                            continue;
+                        }
+
+                        $reflectionProperties[$identifierProperty]->setValue($newData, $this->getIdentifierValue($identifiers, $hasCompositeIdentifiers ? $identifierProperty : null));
                     }
                 }
 
diff --git a/src/Doctrine/Common/Tests/State/PersistProcessorTest.php b/src/Doctrine/Common/Tests/State/PersistProcessorTest.php
index 66aa87a695b..59da208971e 100644
--- a/src/Doctrine/Common/Tests/State/PersistProcessorTest.php
+++ b/src/Doctrine/Common/Tests/State/PersistProcessorTest.php
@@ -17,9 +17,12 @@
 use ApiPlatform\Doctrine\Common\Tests\Fixtures\TestBundle\Entity\Dummy;
 use ApiPlatform\Doctrine\Common\Tests\Fixtures\TestBundle\Entity\DummyWithUninitializedProperties;
 use ApiPlatform\Metadata\Get;
+use ApiPlatform\Metadata\Link;
 use ApiPlatform\Metadata\Post;
+use ApiPlatform\Metadata\Put;
 use ApiPlatform\State\ProcessorInterface;
 use Doctrine\ODM\MongoDB\Mapping\ClassMetadata;
+use Doctrine\ORM\EntityManagerInterface;
 use Doctrine\ORM\Mapping\ClassMetadata as ORMClassMetadata;
 use Doctrine\Persistence\ManagerRegistry;
 use Doctrine\Persistence\ObjectManager;
@@ -141,4 +144,64 @@ public function testHandleLazyObjectRelationsSkipsUninitializedProperties(): voi
         $result = (new PersistProcessor($managerRegistryProphecy->reveal()))->process($dummy, new Post(map: true));
         $this->assertSame($dummy, $result);
     }
+
+    public function testPersistPutCreateResolvesParentLinkViaToProperty(): void
+    {
+        $device = new PersistProcessorTestDeviceStub();
+
+        $userReference = new PersistProcessorTestUserStub();
+        $userReference->id = 'user-uuid';
+
+        $deviceClassMetadata = new ORMClassMetadata(PersistProcessorTestDeviceStub::class);
+        $deviceClassMetadata->identifier = ['id'];
+
+        $deviceManagerProphecy = $this->prophesize(EntityManagerInterface::class);
+        $deviceManagerProphecy->getClassMetadata(PersistProcessorTestDeviceStub::class)->willReturn($deviceClassMetadata);
+        $deviceManagerProphecy->contains($device)->willReturn(false);
+        $deviceManagerProphecy->persist($device)->shouldBeCalled();
+        $deviceManagerProphecy->flush()->shouldBeCalled();
+        $deviceManagerProphecy->refresh($device)->shouldBeCalled();
+
+        $userManagerProphecy = $this->prophesize(EntityManagerInterface::class);
+        $userManagerProphecy->getReference(PersistProcessorTestUserStub::class, 'user-uuid')
+            ->willReturn($userReference)
+            ->shouldBeCalledTimes(1);
+        $userManagerProphecy->contains($userReference)->willReturn(true);
+
+        $managerRegistryProphecy = $this->prophesize(ManagerRegistry::class);
+        $managerRegistryProphecy->getManagerForClass(PersistProcessorTestDeviceStub::class)->willReturn($deviceManagerProphecy->reveal());
+        $managerRegistryProphecy->getManagerForClass(PersistProcessorTestUserStub::class)->willReturn($userManagerProphecy->reveal());
+
+        $operation = new Put(
+            extraProperties: ['standard_put' => true],
+            uriVariables: [
+                'userId' => new Link(toProperty: 'user', fromClass: PersistProcessorTestUserStub::class, identifiers: ['id']),
+                'id' => new Link(fromClass: PersistProcessorTestDeviceStub::class, identifiers: ['id']),
+            ],
+        );
+
+        $result = (new PersistProcessor($managerRegistryProphecy->reveal()))->process(
+            $device,
+            $operation,
+            ['userId' => 'user-uuid', 'id' => 'device-uuid'],
+            ['previous_data' => null],
+        );
+
+        $this->assertSame($device, $result);
+        $this->assertSame($userReference, $device->user);
+        $this->assertSame('device-uuid', $device->id);
+    }
+}
+
+/** @internal */
+class PersistProcessorTestUserStub
+{
+    public ?string $id = null;
+}
+
+/** @internal */
+class PersistProcessorTestDeviceStub
+{
+    public ?string $id = null;
+    public ?PersistProcessorTestUserStub $user = null;
 }