diff --git a/core/lib/Drupal/Core/Entity/Plugin/DataType/EntityReference.php b/core/lib/Drupal/Core/Entity/Plugin/DataType/EntityReference.php
index 3ecce46..e184e9f 100644
--- a/core/lib/Drupal/Core/Entity/Plugin/DataType/EntityReference.php
+++ b/core/lib/Drupal/Core/Entity/Plugin/DataType/EntityReference.php
@@ -56,6 +56,18 @@ public function getTargetDefinition() {
   }
 
   /**
+   * Checks whether the target entity has not been saved yet.
+   *
+   * @return bool
+   *   TRUE if the entity is new, FALSE otherwise.
+   */
+  public function isTargetNew() {
+    // We assume that if the target entity is not set we cannot have a new
+    // entity.
+    return !isset($this->id) && isset($this->target) && $this->target->getValue()->isNew();
+  }
+
+  /**
    * {@inheritdoc}
    */
   public function getTarget() {
diff --git a/core/lib/Drupal/Core/Field/Plugin/Field/FieldType/EntityReferenceItem.php b/core/lib/Drupal/Core/Field/Plugin/Field/FieldType/EntityReferenceItem.php
index 3b7a5f1..946645d 100644
--- a/core/lib/Drupal/Core/Field/Plugin/Field/FieldType/EntityReferenceItem.php
+++ b/core/lib/Drupal/Core/Field/Plugin/Field/FieldType/EntityReferenceItem.php
@@ -200,11 +200,8 @@ public function getValue() {
   public function onChange($property_name, $notify = TRUE) {
     // Make sure that the target ID and the target property stay in sync.
     if ($property_name == 'entity') {
-      // We assume that if the target entity is not set we cannot have a new
-      // entity.
       $property = $this->get('entity');
-      $has_new_entity = $property->hasTarget() && $property->getTarget()->getValue()->isNew();
-      $target_id = $has_new_entity ? static::$NEW_ENTITY_MARKER : $property->getTargetIdentifier();
+      $target_id = $property->isTargetNew() ? static::$NEW_ENTITY_MARKER : $property->getTargetIdentifier();
       $this->writePropertyValue('target_id', $target_id);
     }
     elseif ($property_name == 'target_id' && $this->target_id != static::$NEW_ENTITY_MARKER) {
diff --git a/core/lib/Drupal/Core/TypedData/DataReferenceBase.php b/core/lib/Drupal/Core/TypedData/DataReferenceBase.php
index f7952c6..1b9aaa5 100644
--- a/core/lib/Drupal/Core/TypedData/DataReferenceBase.php
+++ b/core/lib/Drupal/Core/TypedData/DataReferenceBase.php
@@ -31,13 +31,6 @@
   /**
    * {@inheritdoc}
    */
-  public function hasTarget() {
-    return isset($this->target);
-  }
-
-  /**
-   * {@inheritdoc}
-   */
   public function getTarget() {
     return $this->target;
   }
diff --git a/core/lib/Drupal/Core/TypedData/DataReferenceInterface.php b/core/lib/Drupal/Core/TypedData/DataReferenceInterface.php
index 056b676..8fe88fc 100644
--- a/core/lib/Drupal/Core/TypedData/DataReferenceInterface.php
+++ b/core/lib/Drupal/Core/TypedData/DataReferenceInterface.php
@@ -23,14 +23,6 @@
   public function getTarget();
 
   /**
-   * Checks whether the reference is set.
-   *
-   * @return bool
-   *   TRUE if the reference is set, FALSE otherwise.
-   */
-  public function hasTarget();
-
-  /**
    * Gets the identifier of the referenced data.
    *
    * @return int|string|null