diff --git a/src/shared/loop-util.c b/src/shared/loop-util.c
index 2b17df6b5d..c2d28a348c 100644
--- a/src/shared/loop-util.c
+++ b/src/shared/loop-util.c
@@ -20,6 +20,13 @@
 #include "stat-util.h"
 #include "stdio-util.h"
 
+static void cleanup_clear_loop_close(int *fd) {
+        if (*fd >= 0) {
+                (void) ioctl(*fd, LOOP_CLR_FD);
+                (void) safe_close(*fd);
+        }
+}
+
 int loop_device_make_full(
                 int fd,
                 int open_flags,
@@ -28,9 +35,7 @@ int loop_device_make_full(
                 uint32_t loop_flags,
                 LoopDevice **ret) {
 
-        _cleanup_close_ int control = -1, loop = -1;
         _cleanup_free_ char *loopdev = NULL;
-        unsigned n_attempts = 0;
         struct loop_info64 info;
         LoopDevice *d = NULL;
         struct stat st;
@@ -69,7 +74,6 @@ int loop_device_make_full(
                         d = new(LoopDevice, 1);
                         if (!d)
                                 return -ENOMEM;
-
                         *d = (LoopDevice) {
                                 .fd = TAKE_FD(copy),
                                 .nr = nr,
@@ -86,13 +90,18 @@ int loop_device_make_full(
                         return r;
         }
 
+        _cleanup_close_ int control = -1;
+        _cleanup_(cleanup_clear_loop_close) int loop_with_fd = -1;
+
         control = open("/dev/loop-control", O_RDWR|O_CLOEXEC|O_NOCTTY|O_NONBLOCK);
         if (control < 0)
                 return -errno;
 
         /* Loop around LOOP_CTL_GET_FREE, since at the moment we attempt to open the returned device it might
          * be gone already, taken by somebody else racing against us. */
-        for (;;) {
+        for (unsigned n_attempts = 0;;) {
+                _cleanup_close_ int loop = -1;
+
                 nr = ioctl(control, LOOP_CTL_GET_FREE);
                 if (nr < 0)
                         return -errno;
@@ -103,17 +112,16 @@ int loop_device_make_full(
                 loop = open(loopdev, O_CLOEXEC|O_NONBLOCK|O_NOCTTY|open_flags);
                 if (loop < 0)
                         return -errno;
-                if (ioctl(loop, LOOP_SET_FD, fd) < 0) {
-                        if (errno != EBUSY)
-                                return -errno;
-
-                        if (++n_attempts >= 64) /* Give up eventually */
-                                return -EBUSY;
-                } else
+                if (ioctl(loop, LOOP_SET_FD, fd) >= 0) {
+                        loop_with_fd = TAKE_FD(loop);
                         break;
+                }
+                if (errno != EBUSY)
+                        return -errno;
+                if (++n_attempts >= 64) /* Give up eventually */
+                        return -EBUSY;
 
                 loopdev = mfree(loopdev);
-                loop = safe_close(loop);
         }
 
         info = (struct loop_info64) {
@@ -123,33 +131,20 @@ int loop_device_make_full(
                 .lo_sizelimit = size == UINT64_MAX ? 0 : size,
         };
 
-        if (ioctl(loop, LOOP_SET_STATUS64, &info) < 0) {
-                r = -errno;
-                goto fail;
-        }
+        if (ioctl(loop_with_fd, LOOP_SET_STATUS64, &info) < 0)
+                return -errno;
 
         d = new(LoopDevice, 1);
-        if (!d) {
-                r = -ENOMEM;
-                goto fail;
-        }
-
+        if (!d)
+                return -ENOMEM;
         *d = (LoopDevice) {
-                .fd = TAKE_FD(loop),
+                .fd = TAKE_FD(loop_with_fd),
                 .node = TAKE_PTR(loopdev),
                 .nr = nr,
         };
 
         *ret = d;
-        return d->fd;
-
-fail:
-        if (fd >= 0)
-                (void) ioctl(fd, LOOP_CLR_FD);
-        if (d && d->fd >= 0)
-                (void) ioctl(d->fd, LOOP_CLR_FD);
-
-        return r;
+        return 0;
 }
 
 int loop_device_make_by_path(const char *path, int open_flags, uint32_t loop_flags, LoopDevice **ret) {