diff --git a/package/systemd/Config.in b/package/systemd/Config.in
index 095fee0336..f10637af70 100644
--- a/package/systemd/Config.in
+++ b/package/systemd/Config.in
@@ -92,4 +92,17 @@ config BR2_PACKAGE_SYSTEMD_NETWORKD
 
 	  http://www.freedesktop.org/software/systemd/man/systemd-networkd.html
 
+config BR2_PACKAGE_SYSTEMD_COMPAT
+	bool "enable compatibility libraries"
+	help
+	  Since systemd 209, the following libraries have been merged into
+	  libsystemd.so:
+
+	  - libsystemd-daemon
+	  - libsystemd-id128
+	  - libsystemd-journal
+	  - libsystemd-login
+
+	  This option enables the installation of compatibility *.pc files.
+
 endif
diff --git a/package/systemd/systemd.mk b/package/systemd/systemd.mk
index ecedfced97..f7661abb8c 100644
--- a/package/systemd/systemd.mk
+++ b/package/systemd/systemd.mk
@@ -46,6 +46,12 @@ SYSTEMD_CONF_OPT += \
 	--disable-dbus \
 	--without-python
 
+ifeq ($(BR2_PACKAGE_SYSTEMD_COMPAT),y)
+SYSTEMD_CONF_OPT += --enable-compat-libs
+else
+SYSTEMD_CONF_OPT += --disable-compat-libs
+endif
+
 ifeq ($(BR2_PACKAGE_ACL),y)
 SYSTEMD_CONF_OPT += --enable-acl
 SYSTEMD_DEPENDENCIES += acl