diff --git a/Makefile.objs b/Makefile.objs
index 9d0a82d82a..f2700442a4 100644
--- a/Makefile.objs
+++ b/Makefile.objs
@@ -39,8 +39,7 @@ endif # CONFIG_SOFTMMU or CONFIG_TOOLS
 # single QEMU executable should support all CPUs and machines.
 
 ifeq ($(CONFIG_SOFTMMU),y)
-common-obj-y = net/
-common-obj-$(CONFIG_LINUX) += fsdev/
+common-obj-$(CONFIG_LINUX) = fsdev/
 
 common-obj-y += accel/
 
diff --git a/Makefile.target b/Makefile.target
index 4d912df3a3..bf3fda92c1 100644
--- a/Makefile.target
+++ b/Makefile.target
@@ -168,6 +168,7 @@ LIBS := $(LIBS) $(GTK_LIBS) $(VTE_LIBS) $(X11_LIBS) $(CURSES_LIBS) $(ICONV_LIBS)
 endif
 LIBS := $(LIBS) $(BRLAPI_LIBS) $(SDL_LIBS) $(SPICE_LIBS) $(OPENGL_LIBS) $(SECCOMP_LIBS)
 LIBS := $(LIBS) $(COREAUDIO_LIBS) $(DSOUND_LIBS)
+LIBS := $(LIBS) $(VDE_LIBS) $(SLIRP_LIBS)
 
 # Hardware support
 ifeq ($(TARGET_NAME), sparc64)
diff --git a/meson.build b/meson.build
index dc9ce85689..207a47cf07 100644
--- a/meson.build
+++ b/meson.build
@@ -145,6 +145,15 @@ if 'CONFIG_XKBCOMMON' in config_host
   xkbcommon = declare_dependency(compile_args: config_host['XKBCOMMON_CFLAGS'].split(),
                                  link_args: config_host['XKBCOMMON_LIBS'].split())
 endif
+slirp = not_found
+if config_host.has_key('CONFIG_SLIRP')
+  slirp = declare_dependency(compile_args: config_host['SLIRP_CFLAGS'].split(),
+                             link_args: config_host['SLIRP_LIBS'].split())
+endif
+vde = not_found
+if config_host.has_key('CONFIG_VDE')
+  vde = declare_dependency(link_args: config_host['VDE_LIBS'].split())
+endif
 pulse = not_found
 if 'CONFIG_LIBPULSE' in config_host
   pulse = declare_dependency(compile_args: config_host['PULSE_CFLAGS'].split(),
@@ -657,6 +666,7 @@ common_ss.add(files('cpus-common.c'))
 subdir('softmmu')
 subdir('migration')
 subdir('monitor')
+subdir('net')
 subdir('replay')
 
 # needed for fuzzing binaries
diff --git a/net/Makefile.objs b/net/Makefile.objs
deleted file mode 100644
index 5ab45545db..0000000000
--- a/net/Makefile.objs
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,32 +0,0 @@
-common-obj-y = net.o queue.o checksum.o util.o hub.o
-common-obj-y += socket.o
-common-obj-y += dump.o
-common-obj-y += eth.o
-common-obj-y += announce.o
-common-obj-$(CONFIG_L2TPV3) += l2tpv3.o
-common-obj-$(call land,$(CONFIG_VIRTIO_NET),$(CONFIG_VHOST_NET_USER)) += vhost-user.o
-common-obj-$(call land,$(call lnot,$(CONFIG_VIRTIO_NET)),$(CONFIG_VHOST_NET_USER)) += vhost-user-stub.o
-common-obj-$(CONFIG_ALL) += vhost-user-stub.o
-common-obj-$(CONFIG_SLIRP) += slirp.o
-slirp.o-cflags := $(SLIRP_CFLAGS)
-slirp.o-libs := $(SLIRP_LIBS)
-common-obj-$(CONFIG_VDE) += vde.o
-common-obj-$(CONFIG_NETMAP) += netmap.o
-common-obj-y += filter.o
-common-obj-y += filter-buffer.o
-common-obj-y += filter-mirror.o
-common-obj-y += colo-compare.o
-common-obj-y += colo.o
-common-obj-y += filter-rewriter.o
-common-obj-y += filter-replay.o
-
-tap-obj-$(CONFIG_LINUX) = tap-linux.o
-tap-obj-$(CONFIG_BSD) = tap-bsd.o
-tap-obj-$(CONFIG_SOLARIS) = tap-solaris.o
-tap-obj-y ?= tap-stub.o
-common-obj-$(CONFIG_POSIX) += tap.o $(tap-obj-y)
-common-obj-$(CONFIG_WIN32) += tap-win32.o
-common-obj-$(CONFIG_VHOST_NET_VDPA) += vhost-vdpa.o
-vde.o-libs = $(VDE_LIBS)
-
-common-obj-$(CONFIG_CAN_BUS) += can/
diff --git a/net/can/Makefile.objs b/net/can/Makefile.objs
deleted file mode 100644
index 9f35dc5c87..0000000000
--- a/net/can/Makefile.objs
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,2 +0,0 @@
-common-obj-y += can_core.o can_host.o
-common-obj-$(CONFIG_LINUX) += can_socketcan.o
diff --git a/net/can/meson.build b/net/can/meson.build
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..f53d9ec54f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/net/can/meson.build
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+can_ss = ss.source_set()
+can_ss.add(files('can_core.c', 'can_host.c'))
+can_ss.add(when: 'CONFIG_LINUX', if_true: files('can_socketcan.c'))
+
+softmmu_ss.add_all(when: 'CONFIG_CAN_BUS', if_true: can_ss)
diff --git a/net/meson.build b/net/meson.build
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..6c2ec47dd5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/net/meson.build
@@ -0,0 +1,40 @@
+softmmu_ss.add(files(
+  'announce.c',
+  'checksum.c',
+  'colo-compare.c',
+  'colo.c',
+  'dump.c',
+  'eth.c',
+  'filter-buffer.c',
+  'filter-mirror.c',
+  'filter-replay.c',
+  'filter-rewriter.c',
+  'filter.c',
+  'hub.c',
+  'net.c',
+  'queue.c',
+  'socket.c',
+  'util.c',
+))
+
+softmmu_ss.add(when: 'CONFIG_L2TPV3', if_true: files('l2tpv3.c'))
+softmmu_ss.add(when: ['CONFIG_SLIRP', slirp], if_true: files('slirp.c'))
+softmmu_ss.add(when: ['CONFIG_VDE', vde], if_true: files('vde.c'))
+softmmu_ss.add(when: 'CONFIG_NETMAP', if_true: files('netmap.c'))
+vhost_user_ss = ss.source_set()
+vhost_user_ss.add(when: 'CONFIG_VIRTIO_NET', if_true: files('vhost-user.c'), if_false: files('vhost-user-stub.c'))
+softmmu_ss.add_all(when: 'CONFIG_VHOST_NET_USER', if_true: vhost_user_ss)
+softmmu_ss.add(when: 'CONFIG_ALL', if_true: files('vhost-user-stub.c'))
+
+softmmu_ss.add(when: 'CONFIG_LINUX', if_true: files('tap-linux.c'))
+softmmu_ss.add(when: 'CONFIG_BSD', if_true: files('tap-bsd.c'))
+softmmu_ss.add(when: 'CONFIG_SOLARIS', if_true: files('tap-solaris.c'))
+tap_posix = ['tap.c']
+if not config_host.has_key('CONFIG_LINUX') and not config_host.has_key('CONFIG_BSD') and not config_host.has_key('CONFIG_SOLARIS')
+  tap_posix += 'tap-stub.c'
+endif
+softmmu_ss.add(when: 'CONFIG_POSIX', if_true: files(tap_posix))
+softmmu_ss.add(when: 'CONFIG_WIN32', if_true: files('tap-win32.c'))
+softmmu_ss.add(when: 'CONFIG_VHOST_NET_VDPA', if_true: files('vhost-vdpa.c'))
+
+subdir('can')
