diff --git a/drivers/net/netconsole.c b/drivers/net/netconsole.c
index eb9799edb95b..dd984ee4a564 100644
--- a/drivers/net/netconsole.c
+++ b/drivers/net/netconsole.c
@@ -37,6 +37,7 @@
 #include <linux/configfs.h>
 #include <linux/etherdevice.h>
 #include <linux/utsname.h>
+#include <linux/rtnetlink.h>
 
 MODULE_AUTHOR("Maintainer: Matt Mackall <mpm@selenic.com>");
 MODULE_DESCRIPTION("Console driver for network interfaces");
@@ -72,9 +73,16 @@ __setup("netconsole=", option_setup);
 
 /* Linked list of all configured targets */
 static LIST_HEAD(target_list);
+/* target_cleanup_list is used to track targets that need to be cleaned outside
+ * of target_list_lock. It should be cleaned in the same function it is
+ * populated.
+ */
+static LIST_HEAD(target_cleanup_list);
 
 /* This needs to be a spinlock because write_msg() cannot sleep */
 static DEFINE_SPINLOCK(target_list_lock);
+/* This needs to be a mutex because netpoll_cleanup might sleep */
+static DEFINE_MUTEX(target_cleanup_list_lock);
 
 /*
  * Console driver for extended netconsoles.  Registered on the first use to
@@ -210,6 +218,46 @@ static struct netconsole_target *alloc_and_init(void)
 	return nt;
 }
 
+/* Clean up every target in the cleanup_list and move the clean targets back to
+ * the main target_list.
+ */
+static void netconsole_process_cleanups_core(void)
+{
+	struct netconsole_target *nt, *tmp;
+	unsigned long flags;
+
+	/* The cleanup needs RTNL locked */
+	ASSERT_RTNL();
+
+	mutex_lock(&target_cleanup_list_lock);
+	list_for_each_entry_safe(nt, tmp, &target_cleanup_list, list) {
+		/* all entries in the cleanup_list needs to be disabled */
+		WARN_ON_ONCE(nt->enabled);
+		do_netpoll_cleanup(&nt->np);
+		/* moved the cleaned target to target_list. Need to hold both
+		 * locks
+		 */
+		spin_lock_irqsave(&target_list_lock, flags);
+		list_move(&nt->list, &target_list);
+		spin_unlock_irqrestore(&target_list_lock, flags);
+	}
+	WARN_ON_ONCE(!list_empty(&target_cleanup_list));
+	mutex_unlock(&target_cleanup_list_lock);
+}
+
+/* Do the list cleanup with the rtnl lock hold.  rtnl lock is necessary because
+ * netdev might be cleaned-up by calling __netpoll_cleanup(),
+ */
+static void netconsole_process_cleanups(void)
+{
+	/* rtnl lock is called here, because it has precedence over
+	 * target_cleanup_list_lock mutex and target_cleanup_list
+	 */
+	rtnl_lock();
+	netconsole_process_cleanups_core();
+	rtnl_unlock();
+}
+
 #ifdef	CONFIG_NETCONSOLE_DYNAMIC
 
 /*
@@ -376,13 +424,20 @@ static ssize_t enabled_store(struct config_item *item,
 		 * otherwise we might end up in write_msg() with
 		 * nt->np.dev == NULL and nt->enabled == true
 		 */
+		mutex_lock(&target_cleanup_list_lock);
 		spin_lock_irqsave(&target_list_lock, flags);
 		nt->enabled = false;
+		/* Remove the target from the list, while holding
+		 * target_list_lock
+		 */
+		list_move(&nt->list, &target_cleanup_list);
 		spin_unlock_irqrestore(&target_list_lock, flags);
-		netpoll_cleanup(&nt->np);
+		mutex_unlock(&target_cleanup_list_lock);
 	}
 
 	ret = strnlen(buf, count);
+	/* Deferred cleanup */
+	netconsole_process_cleanups();
 out_unlock:
 	mutex_unlock(&dynamic_netconsole_mutex);
 	return ret;
@@ -942,7 +997,7 @@ static int netconsole_netdev_event(struct notifier_block *this,
 				   unsigned long event, void *ptr)
 {
 	unsigned long flags;
-	struct netconsole_target *nt;
+	struct netconsole_target *nt, *tmp;
 	struct net_device *dev = netdev_notifier_info_to_dev(ptr);
 	bool stopped = false;
 
@@ -950,9 +1005,9 @@ static int netconsole_netdev_event(struct notifier_block *this,
 	      event == NETDEV_RELEASE || event == NETDEV_JOIN))
 		goto done;
 
+	mutex_lock(&target_cleanup_list_lock);
 	spin_lock_irqsave(&target_list_lock, flags);
-restart:
-	list_for_each_entry(nt, &target_list, list) {
+	list_for_each_entry_safe(nt, tmp, &target_list, list) {
 		netconsole_target_get(nt);
 		if (nt->np.dev == dev) {
 			switch (event) {
@@ -962,25 +1017,16 @@ static int netconsole_netdev_event(struct notifier_block *this,
 			case NETDEV_RELEASE:
 			case NETDEV_JOIN:
 			case NETDEV_UNREGISTER:
-				/* rtnl_lock already held
-				 * we might sleep in __netpoll_cleanup()
-				 */
 				nt->enabled = false;
-				spin_unlock_irqrestore(&target_list_lock, flags);
-
-				__netpoll_cleanup(&nt->np);
-
-				spin_lock_irqsave(&target_list_lock, flags);
-				netdev_put(nt->np.dev, &nt->np.dev_tracker);
-				nt->np.dev = NULL;
+				list_move(&nt->list, &target_cleanup_list);
 				stopped = true;
-				netconsole_target_put(nt);
-				goto restart;
 			}
 		}
 		netconsole_target_put(nt);
 	}
 	spin_unlock_irqrestore(&target_list_lock, flags);
+	mutex_unlock(&target_cleanup_list_lock);
+
 	if (stopped) {
 		const char *msg = "had an event";
 
@@ -999,6 +1045,11 @@ static int netconsole_netdev_event(struct notifier_block *this,
 			dev->name, msg);
 	}
 
+	/* Process target_cleanup_list entries. By the end, target_cleanup_list
+	 * should be empty
+	 */
+	netconsole_process_cleanups_core();
+
 done:
 	return NOTIFY_DONE;
 }
