diff --git a/tools/mkimage/Makefile b/tools/mkimage/Makefile
index 6901d921cfc..1eb713a22ad 100644
--- a/tools/mkimage/Makefile
+++ b/tools/mkimage/Makefile
@@ -32,6 +32,7 @@ define Host/Compile
 	$(MAKE) -C $(HOST_BUILD_DIR) \
 		HOSTCFLAGS="$(HOST_CFLAGS)" \
 		HOSTLDFLAGS="$(HOST_LDFLAGS)" \
+		PKG_CONFIG_EXTRAARGS="--static" \
 		no-dot-config-targets=tools-only \
 		CONFIG_MKIMAGE_DTC_PATH=dtc \
 		CONFIG_FIT=y \
diff --git a/tools/mkimage/patches/210-link-libcrypto-static.patch b/tools/mkimage/patches/210-link-libcrypto-static.patch
deleted file mode 100644
index 87a425bd945..00000000000
--- a/tools/mkimage/patches/210-link-libcrypto-static.patch
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,14 +0,0 @@
-OpenWrt links the libressl statically against mkimage, make sure all the 
-needed dependencies are added too.
-
---- a/tools/Makefile
-+++ b/tools/Makefile
-@@ -158,7 +158,7 @@ ifneq ($(CONFIG_MX23)$(CONFIG_MX28)$(CON
- HOSTCFLAGS_kwbimage.o += \
- 	$(shell pkg-config --cflags libssl libcrypto 2> /dev/null || echo "")
- HOSTLDLIBS_mkimage += \
--	$(shell pkg-config --libs libssl libcrypto 2> /dev/null || echo "-lssl -lcrypto")
-+	$(shell pkg-config --libs --static libssl libcrypto 2> /dev/null || echo "-lssl -lcrypto")
- 
- # OS X deprecate openssl in favour of CommonCrypto, supress deprecation
- # warnings on those systems