diff --git a/hibernate-core/src/main/java/org/hibernate/event/internal/WrapVisitor.java b/hibernate-core/src/main/java/org/hibernate/event/internal/WrapVisitor.java
index 3d29b406a4..ba8b8b4716 100644
--- a/hibernate-core/src/main/java/org/hibernate/event/internal/WrapVisitor.java
+++ b/hibernate-core/src/main/java/org/hibernate/event/internal/WrapVisitor.java
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@ import org.hibernate.bytecode.enhance.spi.interceptor.EnhancementAsProxyLaziness
 import org.hibernate.bytecode.enhance.spi.interceptor.LazyAttributeLoadingInterceptor;
 import org.hibernate.collection.spi.PersistentCollection;
 import org.hibernate.engine.spi.CollectionEntry;
+import org.hibernate.engine.spi.EntityEntry;
 import org.hibernate.engine.spi.PersistenceContext;
 import org.hibernate.engine.spi.PersistentAttributeInterceptor;
 import org.hibernate.engine.spi.SessionImplementor;
@@ -111,25 +112,27 @@ public class WrapVisitor extends ProxyVisitor {
 					}
 					else if ( attributeInterceptor != null
 							&& ((LazyAttributeLoadingInterceptor)attributeInterceptor).isAttributeLoaded( persister.getAttributeMapping().getAttributeName() ) ) {
-						// the collection has not been initialized and new collection values have been assigned,
-						// we need to be sure to delete all the collection elements before inserting the new ones
-						final AbstractEntityPersister entityDescriptor = (AbstractEntityPersister) mappingMetamodel.getEntityDescriptor( entity.getClass() );
-						final Object key = entityDescriptor.getCollectionKey(
-								persister,
-								entity,
-								persistenceContext.getEntry( entity ),
-								session
-						);
-						final PersistentCollection<?> collectionInstance = persister.getCollectionSemantics().instantiateWrapper(
-								key,
-								persister,
-								session
-						);
-						collectionInstance.setOwner( entity );
-						persistenceContext.addUninitializedCollection( persister, collectionInstance, key );
+						final EntityEntry entry = persistenceContext.getEntry( entity );
+						if ( entry.isExistsInDatabase() ) {
+							// the collection has not been initialized and new collection values have been assigned,
+							// we need to be sure to delete all the collection elements before inserting the new ones
+							final AbstractEntityPersister entityDescriptor =
+									(AbstractEntityPersister) persister.getOwnerEntityPersister();
+							final Object key = entityDescriptor.getCollectionKey(
+									persister,
+									entity,
+									entry,
+									session
+							);
+							final PersistentCollection<?> collectionInstance = persister.getCollectionSemantics()
+									.instantiateWrapper( key, persister, session );
+							collectionInstance.setOwner( entity );
+							persistenceContext.addUninitializedCollection( persister, collectionInstance, key );
 
-						final CollectionEntry collectionEntry = persistenceContext.getCollectionEntry( collectionInstance );
-						collectionEntry.setDoremove( true );
+							final CollectionEntry collectionEntry = persistenceContext
+									.getCollectionEntry( collectionInstance );
+							collectionEntry.setDoremove( true );
+						}
 					}
 				}
 
diff --git a/hibernate-core/src/test/java/org/hibernate/orm/test/bytecode/enhancement/merge/MergeUnsavedEntitiesTest.java b/hibernate-core/src/test/java/org/hibernate/orm/test/bytecode/enhancement/merge/MergeUnsavedEntitiesTest.java
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..2dd342bd1f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/hibernate-core/src/test/java/org/hibernate/orm/test/bytecode/enhancement/merge/MergeUnsavedEntitiesTest.java
@@ -0,0 +1,180 @@
+package org.hibernate.orm.test.bytecode.enhancement.merge;
+
+import java.util.ArrayList;
+import java.util.List;
+
+import org.hibernate.testing.TestForIssue;
+import org.hibernate.testing.bytecode.enhancement.BytecodeEnhancerRunner;
+import org.hibernate.testing.junit4.BaseCoreFunctionalTestCase;
+import org.junit.Test;
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.AfterEach;
+import org.junit.runner.RunWith;
+
+import jakarta.persistence.Entity;
+import jakarta.persistence.FetchType;
+import jakarta.persistence.Id;
+import jakarta.persistence.ManyToOne;
+import jakarta.persistence.OneToMany;
+import jakarta.persistence.Table;
+
+import static jakarta.persistence.CascadeType.MERGE;
+import static org.assertj.core.api.AssertionsForClassTypes.assertThat;
+
+@RunWith(BytecodeEnhancerRunner.class)
+@TestForIssue( jiraKey = "HHH-16322")
+public class MergeUnsavedEntitiesTest extends BaseCoreFunctionalTestCase {
+
+	@Override
+	protected Class<?>[] getAnnotatedClasses() {
+		return new Class[] {
+				Parent.class,
+				Child.class
+		};
+	}
+
+	@AfterEach
+	public void tearDown() {
+		inTransaction(
+				session -> {
+					session.createMutationQuery( "delete from Child" ).executeUpdate();
+					session.createMutationQuery( "delete from Parent" ).executeUpdate();
+				}
+		);
+	}
+
+	@Test
+	public void testMerge() {
+		inTransaction(
+				session -> {
+					Parent parent = new Parent( 1l, 2l );
+					parent = session.merge( parent );
+					Child child = new Child( 2l, "first child" );
+					child = session.merge( child );
+					parent.addChild( child );
+					parent.getId();
+				}
+		);
+
+		inTransaction(
+				session -> {
+					Parent parent = session.find( Parent.class, 1l );
+					assertThat( parent.getChildren().size() ).isEqualTo( 1 );
+				}
+		);
+
+		inTransaction(
+				session -> {
+					Parent parent = session.find( Parent.class, 1l );
+					session.merge( parent );
+				}
+		);
+
+		inTransaction(
+				session -> {
+					Parent parent = session.find( Parent.class, 1l );
+					parent.setChildren( new ArrayList<>() );
+					session.merge( parent );
+				}
+		);
+
+		inTransaction(
+				session -> {
+					Parent parent = session.find( Parent.class, 1l );
+					assertThat( parent.getChildren().size() ).isEqualTo( 0 );
+				}
+		);
+	}
+
+	@Entity(name = "parent")
+	@Table(name = "parent")
+	public static class Parent {
+		@Id
+		private Long id;
+
+		private Long version;
+
+		@OneToMany(mappedBy = "parent", cascade = { MERGE }, orphanRemoval = true, fetch = FetchType.LAZY)
+		private List<Child> children = new ArrayList<>();
+
+		public Parent() {
+		}
+
+		public Parent(Long id, Long version) {
+			this.id = id;
+			this.version = version;
+		}
+
+		public Long getId() {
+			return this.id;
+		}
+
+		public void setId(Long id) {
+			this.id = id;
+		}
+
+		public List<Child> getChildren() {
+			return children;
+		}
+
+		public void setChildren(List<Child> children) {
+			this.children = children;
+		}
+
+		public void addChild(Child child) {
+			children.add( child );
+			child.setParent( this );
+		}
+
+		public void removeChild(Child child) {
+			children.remove( child );
+			child.setParent( null );
+		}
+
+		public Long getVersion() {
+			return version;
+		}
+
+		public void setVersion(Long version) {
+			this.version = version;
+		}
+	}
+
+	@Entity
+	@Table(name = "child")
+	public static class Child {
+
+		@Id
+		private Long id;
+
+		private String name;
+
+		@ManyToOne(fetch = FetchType.LAZY)
+		private Parent parent;
+
+		public Child() {
+		}
+
+		public Child(Long id, String name) {
+			this.id = id;
+			this.name = name;
+		}
+
+		public Long getId() {
+			return this.id;
+		}
+
+		public Parent getParent() {
+			return parent;
+		}
+
+		public void setId(Long id) {
+			this.id = id;
+		}
+
+		public void setParent(Parent parent) {
+			this.parent = parent;
+		}
+
+	}
+
+}