diff --git a/lib/global-styles.php b/lib/global-styles.php
index 10180161342fb1..201caf0eff3327 100644
--- a/lib/global-styles.php
+++ b/lib/global-styles.php
@@ -875,6 +875,53 @@ function gutenberg_experimental_global_styles_register_cpt() {
 	register_post_type( 'wp_global_styles', $args );
 }
 
+/**
+ * Tell kses not to remove from the block markup (from style attribute)
+ * the CSS variables the block editor may add.
+ *
+ * @param array $allowed_attr List of allowed attributes.
+ * @return array Filtered result.
+ */
+function gutenberg_experimental_global_styles_allow_css_var_name( $allowed_attr ) {
+	return array_merge(
+		$allowed_attr,
+		array(
+			'--wp--style--color--link',
+		)
+	);
+}
+
+/**
+ * Tell kses to allow certain values for the properties
+ * the block editor may add.
+ *
+ * @param boolean $allow_css Whether or not this rule should be allowed.
+ * @param string  $css_test_string The CSS rule to process.
+ * @return boolean Filtered result.
+ */
+function gutenberg_experimental_global_styles_allow_css_var_value( $allow_css, $css_test_string ) {
+	$parts          = explode( ':', $css_test_string, 2 );
+	$property_name  = trim( $parts[0] );
+	$property_value = trim( $parts[1] );
+
+	// Pass through if we're not processing the link color property.
+	if ( '--wp--style--color--link' !== $property_name ) {
+		return $allow_css;
+	}
+
+	// Pass through if $allow_css true. This means the link color has a valid color value
+	// (the user selected a custom color).
+	if ( $allow_css ) {
+		return $allow_css;
+	}
+
+	// We want to be specific in testing that the value for link color
+	// matches this: var(--wp--preset--color--<value-with-alphanumeric-chars-or-hyphen>).
+	return preg_match( '/^var\(--wp--preset--color--[A-Za-z0-9-]*\)$/', $property_value );
+}
+
 add_action( 'init', 'gutenberg_experimental_global_styles_register_cpt' );
 add_filter( 'block_editor_settings', 'gutenberg_experimental_global_styles_settings' );
 add_action( 'wp_enqueue_scripts', 'gutenberg_experimental_global_styles_enqueue_assets' );
+add_filter( 'safe_style_css', 'gutenberg_experimental_global_styles_allow_css_var_name' );
+add_filter( 'safecss_filter_attr_allow_css', 'gutenberg_experimental_global_styles_allow_css_var_value', 10, 2 );
diff --git a/packages/e2e-tests/specs/editor/various/__snapshots__/link-color.test.js.snap b/packages/e2e-tests/specs/editor/various/__snapshots__/link-color.test.js.snap
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000000..45427bbe1288dc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/e2e-tests/specs/editor/various/__snapshots__/link-color.test.js.snap
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+// Jest Snapshot v1, https://goo.gl/fbAQLP
+
+exports[`Link color control serializes markup properly 1`] = `
+"<!-- wp:paragraph {\\"style\\":{\\"color\\":{\\"link\\":\\"var:preset|color|black\\"}}} -->
+<p class=\\"has-link-color\\" style=\\"--wp--style--color--link:var(--wp--preset--color--black)\\">This is <a href=\\"https://wordpress.org/gutenberg\\">Gutenberg</a></p>
+<!-- /wp:paragraph -->"
+`;
diff --git a/packages/e2e-tests/specs/editor/various/link-color.test.js b/packages/e2e-tests/specs/editor/various/link-color.test.js
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000000..f0747de84956d1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/e2e-tests/specs/editor/various/link-color.test.js
@@ -0,0 +1,73 @@
+/**
+ * WordPress dependencies
+ */
+import {
+	clickBlockAppender,
+	createNewPost,
+	getEditedPostContent,
+	pressKeyWithModifier,
+	publishPost,
+} from '@wordpress/e2e-test-utils';
+
+describe( 'Link color', () => {
+	beforeEach( async () => {
+		await createNewPost();
+	} );
+
+	const waitForAutoFocus = async () => {
+		await page.waitForFunction(
+			() => !! document.activeElement.closest( '.block-editor-url-input' )
+		);
+	};
+
+	it( 'control serializes markup properly', async () => {
+		// Create a block with some text
+		await clickBlockAppender();
+		await page.keyboard.type( 'This is Gutenberg' );
+
+		// Select some text
+		await pressKeyWithModifier( 'shiftAlt', 'ArrowLeft' );
+
+		// Click on the Link button
+		await page.click( 'button[aria-label="Link"]' );
+
+		// Wait for the URL field to auto-focus
+		await waitForAutoFocus();
+
+		// Type a URL
+		await page.keyboard.type( 'https://wordpress.org/gutenberg' );
+
+		// Submit the link
+		await page.keyboard.press( 'Enter' );
+
+		// Simulate the theme has support for link color
+		await page.evaluate( () => {
+			wp.data.dispatch( 'core/block-editor' ).updateSettings( {
+				__experimentalFeatures: {
+					global: {
+						color: { link: true },
+					},
+				},
+			} );
+		} );
+
+		// Open color panel
+		await page.click(
+			'.block-editor-panel-color-gradient-settings .components-panel__body-toggle'
+		);
+
+		// Select first color
+		await page.click(
+			'.block-editor-panel-color-gradient-settings > .block-editor-color-gradient-control:last-child .components-circular-option-picker__option:first-child'
+		);
+
+		// Save post.
+		// We want to test that the link color control data
+		// persists after kses runs (kses filters out some markup,
+		// such as CSS variables within the style property).
+		await publishPost();
+
+		// Snapshot contains .has-link-color class and inline CSS variable
+		expect( await getEditedPostContent() ).toMatchSnapshot();
+	} );
+} );