diff --git a/drivers/i2c/i2c-core-base.c b/drivers/i2c/i2c-core-base.c
index c2b352c46fae..799776c6d421 100644
--- a/drivers/i2c/i2c-core-base.c
+++ b/drivers/i2c/i2c-core-base.c
@@ -1922,6 +1922,11 @@ int i2c_transfer(struct i2c_adapter *adap, struct i2c_msg *msgs, int num)
 {
 	int ret;
 
+	if (!adap->algo->master_xfer) {
+		dev_dbg(&adap->dev, "I2C level transfers not supported\n");
+		return -EOPNOTSUPP;
+	}
+
 	/* REVISIT the fault reporting model here is weak:
 	 *
 	 *  - When we get an error after receiving N bytes from a slave,
@@ -1938,25 +1943,19 @@ int i2c_transfer(struct i2c_adapter *adap, struct i2c_msg *msgs, int num)
 	 *    one (discarding status on the second message) or errno
 	 *    (discarding status on the first one).
 	 */
-
-	if (adap->algo->master_xfer) {
-		if (in_atomic() || irqs_disabled()) {
-			ret = i2c_trylock_bus(adap, I2C_LOCK_SEGMENT);
-			if (!ret)
-				/* I2C activity is ongoing. */
-				return -EAGAIN;
-		} else {
-			i2c_lock_bus(adap, I2C_LOCK_SEGMENT);
-		}
-
-		ret = __i2c_transfer(adap, msgs, num);
-		i2c_unlock_bus(adap, I2C_LOCK_SEGMENT);
-
-		return ret;
+	if (in_atomic() || irqs_disabled()) {
+		ret = i2c_trylock_bus(adap, I2C_LOCK_SEGMENT);
+		if (!ret)
+			/* I2C activity is ongoing. */
+			return -EAGAIN;
 	} else {
-		dev_dbg(&adap->dev, "I2C level transfers not supported\n");
-		return -EOPNOTSUPP;
+		i2c_lock_bus(adap, I2C_LOCK_SEGMENT);
 	}
+
+	ret = __i2c_transfer(adap, msgs, num);
+	i2c_unlock_bus(adap, I2C_LOCK_SEGMENT);
+
+	return ret;
 }
 EXPORT_SYMBOL(i2c_transfer);