diff --git a/commands/issue/create/issue_create.go b/commands/issue/create/issue_create.go
index b45075267949c3d4d5c22d0999bf52d649092811..3e3fc22fa677aa78df5c9d543ed36334f463cf11 100644
--- a/commands/issue/create/issue_create.go
+++ b/commands/issue/create/issue_create.go
@@ -5,7 +5,6 @@ import (
 	"fmt"
 	"net/url"
 	"os"
-	"strconv"
 	"strings"
 
 	"gitlab.com/gitlab-org/cli/pkg/iostreams"
@@ -397,15 +396,9 @@ func createRun(opts *CreateOpts) error {
 func postCreateActions(apiClient *gitlab.Client, issue *gitlab.Issue, opts *CreateOpts, repo glrepo.Interface) error {
 	if len(opts.LinkedIssues) > 0 {
 		var err error
-		for _, targetIssueIID := range opts.LinkedIssues {
-			fmt.Fprintln(opts.IO.StdErr, "- Linking to issue ", targetIssueIID)
-			issue, _, err = api.LinkIssues(apiClient, repo.FullName(), issue.IID, &gitlab.CreateIssueLinkOptions{
-				TargetIssueIID: gitlab.Ptr(strconv.Itoa(targetIssueIID)),
-				LinkType:       gitlab.Ptr(opts.IssueLinkType),
-			})
-			if err != nil {
-				return err
-			}
+		err = issueutils.LinkIssues(apiClient, issue, opts.LinkedIssues, opts.IssueLinkType, repo)
+		if err != nil {
+			return err
 		}
 	}
 	if opts.TimeEstimate != "" {
diff --git a/commands/issue/issueutils/utils.go b/commands/issue/issueutils/utils.go
index dea8b7affe3f2e72a2b7054e8ef8d2dc764c148f..4075068aaf5852ba24f39554eaa6dbf050686f03 100644
--- a/commands/issue/issueutils/utils.go
+++ b/commands/issue/issueutils/utils.go
@@ -180,3 +180,18 @@ func issueMetadataFromURL(s string) (int, glrepo.Interface) {
 func issueFromIID(apiClient *gitlab.Client, repo glrepo.Interface, issueIID int) (*gitlab.Issue, error) {
 	return api.GetIssue(apiClient, repo.FullName(), issueIID)
 }
+
+func LinkIssues(apiClient *gitlab.Client, issue *gitlab.Issue, LinkedIssues []int, IssueLinkType string, repo glrepo.Interface) error {
+	var err error
+	for _, targetIssueIID := range LinkedIssues {
+		//fmt.Fprintln(opts.IO.StdErr, "- Linking to issue ", targetIssueIID)
+		issue, _, err = api.LinkIssues(apiClient, repo.FullName(), issue.IID, &gitlab.CreateIssueLinkOptions{
+			TargetIssueIID: gitlab.Ptr(strconv.Itoa(targetIssueIID)),
+			LinkType:       gitlab.Ptr(IssueLinkType),
+		})
+		if err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
+	}
+	return nil
+}
diff --git a/commands/issue/update/issue_update.go b/commands/issue/update/issue_update.go
index a72409147f1e1c40ba3cc7ef36633c31c73c5732..f6f6fecbd355ab99742f0a684d568b3e92d00f1a 100644
--- a/commands/issue/update/issue_update.go
+++ b/commands/issue/update/issue_update.go
@@ -5,6 +5,8 @@ import (
 	"fmt"
 	"strings"
 
+	"gitlab.com/gitlab-org/cli/pkg/iostreams"
+
 	"gitlab.com/gitlab-org/cli/api"
 	"gitlab.com/gitlab-org/cli/commands/cmdutils"
 	"gitlab.com/gitlab-org/cli/commands/issue/issueutils"
@@ -14,7 +16,17 @@ import (
 	"github.com/xanzy/go-gitlab"
 )
 
+type LinkIssueOpts struct {
+	LinkedIssues  []int  `json:"linked_issues,omitempty"`
+	IssueLinkType string `json:"issue_link_type,omitempty"`
+
+	IO *iostreams.IOStreams `json:"-"`
+}
+
 func NewCmdUpdate(f *cmdutils.Factory) *cobra.Command {
+	opts := &LinkIssueOpts{
+		IO: f.IO,
+	}
 	issueUpdateCmd := &cobra.Command{
 		Use:   "update <id>",
 		Short: `Update issue`,
@@ -165,13 +177,50 @@ func NewCmdUpdate(f *cmdutils.Factory) *cobra.Command {
 
 			fmt.Fprintf(out, "- Updating issue #%d\n", issue.IID)
 
-			issue, err = api.UpdateIssue(apiClient, repo.FullName(), issue.IID, l)
-			if err != nil {
-				return err
+			// If the linked-issues flag is passed call to update LinkedIssues
+			if len(opts.LinkedIssues) > 0 {
+				err = issueutils.LinkIssues(apiClient, issue, opts.LinkedIssues, opts.IssueLinkType, repo)
+				if err != nil {
+					return err
+				}
 			}
 
-			for _, s := range actions {
-				fmt.Fprintln(out, c.GreenCheck(), s)
+			// We want to only run the UpdateIssue function if flags are passed
+			// and the passed flags are not `linked-issues` or `link-type`.
+			// First we check that some number of flags was passed. We then check that
+			// if the flags are `linked-issues` or `link-type`. If it is NOT a link flag
+			// we return nil and continue.
+			switch cmd.Flags().NFlag() {
+			case 1:
+				if cmd.Flags().Changed("linked-issues") {
+					return errors.New("cannot update issue when only --linked-issues is set")
+				}
+				if cmd.Flags().Changed("link-type") {
+					return errors.New("cannot update issue when only --link-type is set")
+				}
+
+				// continue execution to api.UpdateIssue
+				fallthrough
+			case 2:
+				if cmd.Flags().Changed("linked-issues") && cmd.Flags().Changed("link-type") {
+					return errors.New("cannot update issue when only --link-type and --linked-issues are set")
+				}
+
+				// continue execution to api.UpdateIssue
+				fallthrough
+			default:
+				if cmd.Flags().NFlag() < 0 {
+					return nil
+				}
+
+				issue, err = api.UpdateIssue(apiClient, repo.FullName(), issue.IID, l)
+				if err != nil {
+					return err
+				}
+
+				for _, s := range actions {
+					fmt.Fprintln(out, c.GreenCheck(), s)
+				}
 			}
 
 			fmt.Fprintln(out, issueutils.DisplayIssue(c, issue, f.IO.IsaTTY))
@@ -191,6 +240,8 @@ func NewCmdUpdate(f *cmdutils.Factory) *cobra.Command {
 	issueUpdateCmd.Flags().
 		StringSliceP("assignee", "a", []string{}, "Assign users by username. Prefix with '!' or '-' to remove from existing assignees, or '+' to add new. Otherwise, replace existing assignees with these users.")
 	issueUpdateCmd.Flags().Bool("unassign", false, "Unassign all users.")
+	issueUpdateCmd.Flags().IntSliceVarP(&opts.LinkedIssues, "linked-issues", "", []int{}, "The IIDs of issues that this issue links to")
+	issueUpdateCmd.Flags().StringVarP(&opts.IssueLinkType, "link-type", "", "relates_to", "Type for the issue link")
 
 	return issueUpdateCmd
 }