diff --git a/easybuild/framework/easyblock.py b/easybuild/framework/easyblock.py
index 1eb610b2c8..340bb33f60 100644
--- a/easybuild/framework/easyblock.py
+++ b/easybuild/framework/easyblock.py
@@ -133,8 +133,9 @@ class LibSymlink(Enum):
     - LIB_TO_LIB64: 'lib' is a symlink to 'lib64'
     - LIB64_TO_LIB: 'lib64' is a symlink to 'lib'
     - NEITHER: neither 'lib' is a symlink to 'lib64', nor 'lib64' is a symlink to 'lib'
+    - BOTH_TO_DIR: 'lib' and 'lib64' are symlinks to some other directory
     - """
-    LIB_TO_LIB64, LIB64_TO_LIB, NEITHER = range(3)
+    LIB_TO_LIB64, LIB64_TO_LIB, NEITHER, BOTH_TO_DIR = range(4)
 
 
 class EasyBlock(object):
@@ -1760,7 +1761,9 @@ def check_install_lib_symlink(self):
 
         self._install_lib_symlink = LibSymlink.NEITHER
         if os.path.exists(lib_dir) and os.path.exists(lib64_dir):
-            if os.path.islink(lib_dir) and os.path.samefile(lib_dir, lib64_dir):
+            if os.path.islink(lib_dir) and os.path.islink(lib64_dir):
+                self._install_lib_symlink = LibSymlink.BOTH_TO_DIR
+            elif os.path.islink(lib_dir) and os.path.samefile(lib_dir, lib64_dir):
                 self._install_lib_symlink = LibSymlink.LIB_TO_LIB64
             elif os.path.islink(lib64_dir) and os.path.samefile(lib_dir, lib64_dir):
                 self._install_lib_symlink = LibSymlink.LIB64_TO_LIB
diff --git a/test/framework/easyblock.py b/test/framework/easyblock.py
index 59c061d78e..a235732d23 100644
--- a/test/framework/easyblock.py
+++ b/test/framework/easyblock.py
@@ -52,7 +52,7 @@
 from easybuild.tools.config import get_module_syntax, update_build_option
 from easybuild.tools.environment import modify_env
 from easybuild.tools.filetools import change_dir, copy_dir, copy_file, mkdir, read_file, remove_dir, remove_file
-from easybuild.tools.filetools import verify_checksum, write_file
+from easybuild.tools.filetools import symlink, verify_checksum, write_file
 from easybuild.tools.module_generator import module_generator
 from easybuild.tools.modules import EnvironmentModules, Lmod, ModEnvVarType, reset_module_caches
 from easybuild.tools.version import get_git_revision, this_is_easybuild
@@ -627,6 +627,43 @@ def test_make_module_req(self):
         logtxt = read_file(eb.logfile)
         self.assertTrue(re.search(r"WARNING Non-path variables found in module load env.*NONPATH", logtxt, re.M))
 
+        delattr(eb.module_load_environment, 'NONPATH')
+
+        # make sure that entries that symlink to another directory are retained;
+        # the test case inspired by the directory structure for old imkl versions (like 2020.4)
+        remove_dir(eb.installdir)
+
+        # lib/ symlinked to libraries/
+        real_libdir = os.path.join(eb.installdir, 'libraries')
+        mkdir(real_libdir, parents=True)
+        symlink(real_libdir, os.path.join(eb.installdir, 'lib'))
+
+        # lib/intel64/ symlinked to lib/intel64_lin/
+        mkdir(os.path.join(eb.installdir, 'lib', 'intel64_lin'), parents=True)
+        symlink(os.path.join(eb.installdir, 'lib', 'intel64_lin'), os.path.join(eb.installdir, 'lib', 'intel64'))
+
+        # library file present in lib/intel64
+        write_file(os.path.join(eb.installdir, 'lib', 'intel64', 'libfoo.so'), 'libfoo.so')
+
+        # lib64/ symlinked to lib/
+        symlink(os.path.join(eb.installdir, 'lib'), os.path.join(eb.installdir, 'lib64'))
+
+        eb.module_load_environment.LD_LIBRARY_PATH = [os.path.join('lib', 'intel64')]
+        eb.module_load_environment.LIBRARY_PATH = eb.module_load_environment.LD_LIBRARY_PATH
+        with eb.module_generator.start_module_creation():
+            txt = eb.make_module_req()
+
+        if get_module_syntax() == 'Tcl':
+            self.assertTrue(re.search(r"^prepend-path\s+LD_LIBRARY_PATH\s+\$root/lib/intel64$", txt, re.M))
+            self.assertTrue(re.search(r"^prepend-path\s+LIBRARY_PATH\s+\$root/lib/intel64\n$", txt, re.M))
+        elif get_module_syntax() == 'Lua':
+            self.assertTrue(re.search(r'^prepend_path\("LD_LIBRARY_PATH", pathJoin\(root, "lib/intel64"\)\)$',
+                                      txt, re.M))
+            self.assertTrue(re.search(r'^prepend_path\("LIBRARY_PATH", pathJoin\(root, "lib/intel64"\)\)$',
+                                      txt, re.M))
+        else:
+            self.fail("Unknown module syntax: %s" % get_module_syntax())
+
         # cleanup
         eb.close_log()
         os.remove(eb.logfile)
@@ -3312,6 +3349,25 @@ def test_expand_module_search_path(self):
         self.assertEqual(test_emsp("lib*", ModEnvVarType.PATH_WITH_FILES), ["lib64"])
         self.assertEqual(test_emsp("lib*", ModEnvVarType.PATH_WITH_TOP_FILES), ["lib64"])
 
+        # test both lib and lib64 symlinked to some other folder
+        remove_dir(os.path.join(eb.installdir, "lib64"))
+        remove_file(os.path.join(eb.installdir, "lib"))
+        os.mkdir(os.path.join(eb.installdir, "random_lib_dir"))
+        write_file(os.path.join(eb.installdir, "random_lib_dir", "libtest.so"), "not actually a lib")
+        os.symlink("random_lib_dir", os.path.join(eb.installdir, "lib"))
+        os.symlink("random_lib_dir", os.path.join(eb.installdir, "lib64"))
+        eb.check_install_lib_symlink()
+        self.assertEqual(eb.install_lib_symlink, LibSymlink.BOTH_TO_DIR)
+        self.assertEqual(test_emsp("lib", ModEnvVarType.PATH), ["lib"])
+        self.assertEqual(test_emsp("lib", ModEnvVarType.PATH_WITH_FILES), ["lib"])
+        self.assertEqual(test_emsp("lib", ModEnvVarType.PATH_WITH_TOP_FILES), ["lib"])
+        self.assertEqual(test_emsp("lib64", ModEnvVarType.PATH), ["lib64"])
+        self.assertEqual(test_emsp("lib64", ModEnvVarType.PATH_WITH_FILES), ["lib64"])
+        self.assertEqual(test_emsp("lib64", ModEnvVarType.PATH_WITH_TOP_FILES), ["lib64"])
+        self.assertEqual(sorted(test_emsp("lib*", ModEnvVarType.PATH)), ["lib", "lib64"])
+        self.assertEqual(sorted(test_emsp("lib*", ModEnvVarType.PATH_WITH_FILES)), ["lib", "lib64"])
+        self.assertEqual(sorted(test_emsp("lib*", ModEnvVarType.PATH_WITH_TOP_FILES)), ["lib", "lib64"])
+
 
 def suite():
     """ return all the tests in this file """