diff --git a/packages/nuxt/src/app/components/nuxt-link.ts b/packages/nuxt/src/app/components/nuxt-link.ts
index b5ad9dbc68..bb06a0c1d7 100644
--- a/packages/nuxt/src/app/components/nuxt-link.ts
+++ b/packages/nuxt/src/app/components/nuxt-link.ts
@@ -354,14 +354,14 @@ export function defineNuxtLink (options: NuxtLinkOptions) {
           (isAbsoluteUrl.value || hasTarget.value) ? 'noopener noreferrer' : ''
         ) || null
 
-        const navigate = () => navigateTo(href, { replace: props.replace })
-
         // https://router.vuejs.org/api/#custom
         if (props.custom) {
           if (!slots.default) {
             return null
           }
 
+          const navigate = () => navigateTo(href, { replace: props.replace, external: props.external })
+
           return slots.default({
             href,
             navigate,