diff --git a/app/Http/Controllers/Transaction/LinkController.php b/app/Http/Controllers/Transaction/LinkController.php
index 0b560c78c8..8fd296bfb0 100644
--- a/app/Http/Controllers/Transaction/LinkController.php
+++ b/app/Http/Controllers/Transaction/LinkController.php
@@ -94,60 +94,32 @@ class LinkController extends Controller
     public function store(
         JournalLinkRequest $request, LinkTypeRepositoryInterface $repository, JournalRepositoryInterface $journalRepository, TransactionJournal $journal
     ) {
-        $linkType = $request->get('link_type');
-        $parts    = explode('_', $linkType);
-        if (count($parts) !== 2) {
-            Session::flash('error', trans('firefly.invalid_link_data'));
-
-            return redirect(route('transactions.show', $journal->id));
-        }
-        if (!in_array($parts[1], ['inward', 'outward'])) {
-            Session::flash('error', trans('firefly.invalid_link_data'));
-
-            return redirect(route('transactions.show', $journal->id));
-        }
-        $linkTypeId = intval($parts[0]);
-        $linkType   = $repository->find($linkTypeId);
-        if ($linkType->id !== $linkTypeId) {
-            Session::flash('error', trans('firefly.invalid_link_data'));
-
-            return redirect(route('transactions.show', $journal->id));
-        }
-        Log::debug('Will link using linktype', $linkType->toArray());
-        $linkJournalId = intval($request->get('link_journal_id'));
-
-        if ($linkJournalId === 0 && ctype_digit($request->string('link_other'))) {
-            $linkJournalId = intval($request->string('link_other'));
-        }
-
-
-        $opposing = $journalRepository->find($linkJournalId);
-        if (is_null($opposing->id)) {
-            Session::flash('error', trans('firefly.invalid_link_data'));
-
-            return redirect(route('transactions.show', $journal->id));
-        }
-        $result = $repository->findLink($journal, $opposing);
-        if ($result) {
+        $linkInfo      = $request->getLinkInfo();
+        $linkType      = $repository->find($linkInfo['link_type_id']);
+        $other         = $journalRepository->find($linkInfo['transaction_journal_id']);
+        $alreadyLinked = $repository->findLink($journal, $other);
+        if ($alreadyLinked) {
             Session::flash('error', trans('firefly.journals_error_linked'));
 
             return redirect(route('transactions.show', $journal->id));
         }
-        Log::debug(sprintf('Journal is %d, opposing is %d', $journal->id, $opposing->id));
+        Log::debug(sprintf('Journal is %d, opposing is %d', $journal->id, $other->id));
 
         $journalLink = new TransactionJournalLink;
         $journalLink->linkType()->associate($linkType);
-        if ($parts[1] === 'inward') {
-            Log::debug(sprintf('Link type is inwards ("%s"), so %d is source and %d is destination.', $linkType->inward, $opposing->id, $journal->id));
-            $journalLink->source()->associate($opposing);
+        if ($linkInfo['direction'] === 'inward') {
+            Log::debug(sprintf('Link type is inwards ("%s"), so %d is source and %d is destination.', $linkType->inward, $other->id, $journal->id));
+            $journalLink->source()->associate($other);
             $journalLink->destination()->associate($journal);
         }
-        if ($parts[1] === 'outward') {
-            Log::debug(sprintf('Link type is inwards ("%s"), so %d is source and %d is destination.', $linkType->outward, $journal->id, $opposing->id));
+
+        if ($linkInfo['direction'] === 'outward') {
+            Log::debug(sprintf('Link type is inwards ("%s"), so %d is source and %d is destination.', $linkType->outward, $journal->id, $other->id));
             $journalLink->source()->associate($journal);
-            $journalLink->destination()->associate($opposing);
+            $journalLink->destination()->associate($other);
         }
-        $journalLink->comment = strlen($request->string('comments')) > 0 ? $request->string('comments') : null;
+
+        $journalLink->comment = $linkInfo['comments'];
         $journalLink->save();
         Session::flash('success', trans('firefly.journals_linked'));
 
diff --git a/app/Http/Requests/JournalLinkRequest.php b/app/Http/Requests/JournalLinkRequest.php
index 048bc6d28b..50b2069d47 100644
--- a/app/Http/Requests/JournalLinkRequest.php
+++ b/app/Http/Requests/JournalLinkRequest.php
@@ -12,6 +12,8 @@ declare(strict_types=1);
 
 namespace FireflyIII\Http\Requests;
 
+use FireflyIII\Models\LinkType;
+
 /**
  * Class JournalLink
  *
@@ -29,12 +31,44 @@ class JournalLinkRequest extends Request
         return auth()->check();
     }
 
+    /**
+     * @return array
+     */
+    public function getLinkInfo(): array
+    {
+        $return                           = [];
+        $linkType                         = $this->get('link_type');
+        $parts                            = explode('_', $linkType);
+        $return['link_type_id']           = intval($parts[0]);
+        $return['transaction_journal_id'] = $this->integer('link_journal_id');
+        $return['comments']               = strlen($this->string('comments')) > 0 ? $this->string('comments') : null;
+        $return['direction']              = $parts[1];
+        if ($return['transaction_journal_id'] === 0 && ctype_digit($this->string('link_other'))) {
+            $return['transaction_journal_id'] = $this->integer('link_other');
+        }
+
+        return $return;
+    }
 
     /**
      * @return array
      */
     public function rules()
     {
-        return [];
+        // all possible combinations of link types and inward / outward:
+        $combinations = [];
+        $linkTypes    = LinkType::get(['id']);
+        /** @var LinkType $type */
+        foreach ($linkTypes as $type) {
+            $combinations[] = sprintf('%d_inward', $type->id);
+            $combinations[] = sprintf('%d_outward', $type->id);
+        }
+        $string = join(',', $combinations);
+
+        return [
+            'link_type'       => sprintf('required|in:%s', $string),
+            'link_other'      => 'belongsToUser:transaction_journals',
+            'link_journal_id' => 'belongsToUser:transaction_journals',
+        ];
     }
 }