Needs two clicks to unselect navigation link when popover is open

[jeryj]

Description

Clicking to a navigation link when an unsynced link is selected will not update to the new selected block. Very likely caused by #73142 and related to #73171

Step-by-step reproduction instructions

• Edit a single Navigation Item: Site Editor > Navigation > Edit Navigation (three dot menu)
• Go to the Code Editor (top right Options menu > Code Editor
• Add a broken synced navigation item by using the binding metadata with a page that does not exist (ex: 999999999):

<!-- wp:navigation-link {"label":"Broken Binding","type":"page","id":99999999,"url":"http://localhost:8888/test-renaming-page/","kind":"post-type","metadata":{"bindings":{"url":{"source":"core/post-data","args":{"field":"link"}}}}} /-->

• Go back to the visual editor
• You will see the Navigation Link named "Broken Binding"
• Open the sidebar inspector
• Click on the Broken Binding link
• Click to a non-broken link
• The non-broken link won't get selected. Selection stays with the broken binding link

Screenshots, screen recording, code snippet

Screen.Recording.2025-11-11.at.3.57.58.PM.mov

Environment info

No response

Please confirm that you have searched existing issues in the repo.

• Yes

Please confirm that you have tested with all plugins deactivated except Gutenberg.

• Yes

Please confirm which theme type you used for testing.

• Block
• Classic
• Hybrid (e.g. classic with theme.json)
• Not sure

[getdave]

I think closing the Link UI popover is designed to shift focus back to the link that was being edited. This was an a11y feature designed to protect against possible context/focus loss.

However, if the close is caused by clicking on a target that is another link then this shouldn't apply.

I think that's what you are seeing here.