diff --git a/hibernate-core/src/test/java/org/hibernate/orm/test/bytecode/enhancement/merge/MergeWithReferenceTest.java b/hibernate-core/src/test/java/org/hibernate/orm/test/bytecode/enhancement/merge/MergeWithReferenceTest.java
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..950d3c2dd1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/hibernate-core/src/test/java/org/hibernate/orm/test/bytecode/enhancement/merge/MergeWithReferenceTest.java
@@ -0,0 +1,158 @@
+package org.hibernate.orm.test.bytecode.enhancement.merge;
+
+import org.hibernate.annotations.Fetch;
+import org.hibernate.annotations.FetchMode;
+
+import org.hibernate.testing.bytecode.enhancement.BytecodeEnhancerRunner;
+import org.hibernate.testing.junit4.BaseCoreFunctionalTestCase;
+import org.hibernate.testing.orm.junit.SessionFactoryScope;
+import org.junit.After;
+import org.junit.Test;
+import org.junit.runner.RunWith;
+
+import jakarta.persistence.CascadeType;
+import jakarta.persistence.Column;
+import jakarta.persistence.Entity;
+import jakarta.persistence.FetchType;
+import jakarta.persistence.GeneratedValue;
+import jakarta.persistence.Id;
+import jakarta.persistence.JoinColumn;
+import jakarta.persistence.ManyToOne;
+import org.assertj.core.api.Assertions;
+
+import static org.assertj.core.api.Assertions.assertThat;
+
+@RunWith(BytecodeEnhancerRunner.class)
+public class MergeWithReferenceTest extends BaseCoreFunctionalTestCase {
+
+	@Override
+	protected Class<?>[] getAnnotatedClasses() {
+		return new Class[] {
+				Foo.class,
+				Bar.class
+		};
+	}
+
+	@After
+	public void tearDown() {
+		inTransaction(
+				session -> {
+					session.createMutationQuery( "delete from Foo" ).executeUpdate();
+					session.createMutationQuery( "delete from Bar" ).executeUpdate();
+				}
+		);
+	}
+
+	@Test
+	public void testMergeReference() {
+		Bar bar = new Bar( "unique3" );
+		inTransaction( session -> {
+			session.persist( bar );
+		} );
+
+		inTransaction( session -> {
+			Bar reference = session.getReference( Bar.class, bar.getId() );
+			Foo merged = session.merge( new Foo( reference ) );
+			Assertions.assertThat( merged.getBar().getKey() ).isEqualTo( bar.getKey() );
+		} );
+	}
+
+	@Test
+	public void testMergeReference2() {
+		Bar bar = new Bar( "unique3" );
+		inTransaction( session -> {
+			session.persist( bar );
+		} );
+
+		inTransaction( session -> {
+			Bar reference = session.getReference( Bar.class, bar.getId() );
+			reference.setName( "Davide" );
+			session.merge( reference );
+		} );
+
+		inTransaction(
+				session -> {
+					Bar reference = session.getReference( Bar.class, bar.getId() );
+					assertThat( reference.getName() ).isEqualTo( "Davide" );
+				}
+		);
+	}
+
+	@Entity(name = "Foo")
+	public static class Foo {
+		Foo(Bar bar) {
+			this.bar = bar;
+		}
+
+		public Foo() {
+		}
+
+		@Id
+		@GeneratedValue
+		long id;
+
+		@ManyToOne(cascade = CascadeType.PERSIST, fetch = FetchType.EAGER)
+		@Fetch(FetchMode.JOIN)
+		@JoinColumn(name = "bar_key", referencedColumnName = "nat_key")
+		Bar bar;
+
+		public long getId() {
+			return id;
+		}
+
+		public void setId(long id) {
+			this.id = id;
+		}
+
+		public Bar getBar() {
+			return bar;
+		}
+
+		public void setBar(Bar bar) {
+			this.bar = bar;
+		}
+	}
+
+	@Entity(name = "Bar")
+	public static class Bar {
+		Bar(String key) {
+			this.key = key;
+		}
+
+		public Bar() {
+		}
+
+		@Id
+		@GeneratedValue
+		long id;
+
+		@Column(name = "nat_key", unique = true)
+		String key;
+
+		String name;
+
+		public long getId() {
+			return id;
+		}
+
+		public void setId(long id) {
+			this.id = id;
+		}
+
+		public String getKey() {
+			return key;
+		}
+
+		public void setKey(String key) {
+			this.key = key;
+		}
+
+		public String getName() {
+			return name;
+		}
+
+		public void setName(String name) {
+			this.name = name;
+		}
+	}
+}
diff --git a/hibernate-core/src/test/java/org/hibernate/orm/test/merge/MergeWithReferenceTest.java b/hibernate-core/src/test/java/org/hibernate/orm/test/merge/MergeWithReferenceTest.java
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..4bd786a660
--- /dev/null
+++ b/hibernate-core/src/test/java/org/hibernate/orm/test/merge/MergeWithReferenceTest.java
@@ -0,0 +1,155 @@
+package org.hibernate.orm.test.merge;
+
+import org.hibernate.annotations.Fetch;
+import org.hibernate.annotations.FetchMode;
+
+import org.hibernate.testing.orm.junit.DomainModel;
+import org.hibernate.testing.orm.junit.JiraKey;
+import org.hibernate.testing.orm.junit.SessionFactory;
+import org.hibernate.testing.orm.junit.SessionFactoryScope;
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.AfterEach;
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.Test;
+
+import jakarta.persistence.CascadeType;
+import jakarta.persistence.Column;
+import jakarta.persistence.Entity;
+import jakarta.persistence.FetchType;
+import jakarta.persistence.GeneratedValue;
+import jakarta.persistence.Id;
+import jakarta.persistence.JoinColumn;
+import jakarta.persistence.ManyToOne;
+import org.assertj.core.api.Assertions;
+
+import static org.assertj.core.api.Assertions.assertThat;
+
+@DomainModel(annotatedClasses = {
+		MergeWithReferenceTest.Foo.class,
+		MergeWithReferenceTest.Bar.class
+})
+@SessionFactory
+@JiraKey( "HHH-16298" )
+public class MergeWithReferenceTest {
+
+	@AfterEach
+	public void tearDown(SessionFactoryScope scope){
+		scope.inTransaction(
+				session -> {
+					session.createMutationQuery( "delete from Foo" ).executeUpdate();
+					session.createMutationQuery( "delete from Bar" ).executeUpdate();
+				}
+		);
+	}
+
+	@Test
+	public void testMergeReference(SessionFactoryScope scope) {
+		Bar bar = new Bar( "unique3" );
+		scope.inTransaction( session -> {
+			session.persist( bar );
+		} );
+
+		scope.inTransaction( session -> {
+			Bar reference = session.getReference( Bar.class, bar.getId() );
+			Foo merged = session.merge( new Foo( reference ) );
+			Assertions.assertThat( merged.getBar().getKey() ).isEqualTo( bar.getKey() );
+		} );
+	}
+
+	@Test
+	public void testMergeReference2(SessionFactoryScope scope) {
+		Bar bar = new Bar( "unique3" );
+		scope.inTransaction( session -> {
+			session.persist( bar );
+		} );
+
+		scope.inTransaction( session -> {
+			Bar reference = session.getReference( Bar.class, bar.getId() );
+			reference.setName( "Davide") ;
+			session.merge( reference );
+		} );
+
+		scope.inTransaction(
+				session -> {
+					Bar reference = session.getReference( Bar.class, bar.getId() );
+					assertThat( reference.getName() ).isEqualTo( "Davide" );
+				}
+		);
+	}
+
+	@Entity(name = "Foo")
+	public static class Foo {
+		Foo(Bar bar) {
+			this.bar = bar;
+		}
+
+		public Foo() {
+		}
+
+		@Id
+		@GeneratedValue
+		long id;
+
+		@ManyToOne(cascade = CascadeType.PERSIST, fetch = FetchType.EAGER)
+		@Fetch(FetchMode.JOIN)
+		@JoinColumn(name = "bar_key", referencedColumnName = "nat_key")
+		Bar bar;
+
+		public long getId() {
+			return id;
+		}
+
+		public void setId(long id) {
+			this.id = id;
+		}
+
+		public Bar getBar() {
+			return bar;
+		}
+
+		public void setBar(Bar bar) {
+			this.bar = bar;
+		}
+	}
+
+	@Entity(name = "Bar")
+	public static class Bar {
+		Bar(String key) {
+			this.key = key;
+		}
+
+		public Bar() {
+		}
+
+		@Id
+		@GeneratedValue
+		long id;
+
+		@Column(name = "nat_key", unique = true)
+		String key;
+
+		String name;
+
+		public long getId() {
+			return id;
+		}
+
+		public void setId(long id) {
+			this.id = id;
+		}
+
+		public String getKey() {
+			return key;
+		}
+
+		public void setKey(String key) {
+			this.key = key;
+		}
+
+		public String getName() {
+			return name;
+		}
+
+		public void setName(String name) {
+			this.name = name;
+		}
+	}
+}