This summer has seen a raft of star signings arrive at new homes in Serie A, the excitement palpable as Italian clubs unveiled their latest big-name acquisition. Radja Nainggolan has returned to Cagliari, while his international teammate Romelu Lukaku left Manchester United to join Inter Milan, and he will be joined there by former Atletico Madrid captain Diego Godin.

“Chucky” Lozano will suit up in Napoli colors, while the latest headline-grabbing deal saw Franck Ribery land at Fiorentina, the Frenchman met at the Stadio Artemio Franchi by 14,000 fans all chanting his name.

In much the same way that they have dominated the league table for the past eight years, Juventus have led the way in making noise on the transfer market, undoubtedly making more noteworthy signings than any other club. Yet for all the shiny new toys at Maurizio Sarri’s disposal, the Old Lady has stumbled herself into an extremely vulnerable position in the market.

Among the signings was Gigi Buffon, the legendary Bianconeri goalkeeper returning after a 12-month sojourn in Paris, and he will need just eight outings to set a new all-time Serie A appearance record. While he will have his sights set on breaking Paolo Maldini’s historic achievement, the 41-year-old will be joined by some new faces who will be looking to help him win yet more silverware. Adrien Rabiot has made the same journey from PSG to Turin, injecting some much-needed attacking verve into the Bianconeri midfield.

Rabiot will be aided and abetted in that aim by Aaron Ramsey, the Welshman ending his 11-year association with Arsenal in pursuit of a new adventure in Serie A. Ex-Manchester City fullback Danilo and Turkey international Merih Demiral have also joined the cause, but the biggest name to switch allegiances and side with the Old Lady is undoubtedly Matthijs de Ligt.

Having shot to prominence at Ajax, the 20-year-old could — as discussed in this previous column — have a long-lasting impact at Juve that outweighs even the signing of Cristiano Ronaldo, the signing of de Ligt marking the first time that one of the world’s most promising young talents has chosen the Bianconeri over European heavyweights like Barcelona, Real Madrid, or a leading Premier League outfit.

However, while these high-profile players were checking in through the arrivals gate, the departure lounge at Juve was as deserted as the National Mall on Friday, January 20, 2017. The endless rumors of transfers away from the club for Sami Khedira, Gonzalo Higuain, Daniele Rugani, and even Paulo Dybala have proven to be “fake news,” leaving the Bianconeri management team facing some extremely difficult choices.

“We need to cut six players from our Champions League list, and that puts us in difficulty,” new boss Sarri admitted at a press conference earlier this month. “The last 20 days of the market will be difficult for us, it’s an embarrassing situation, because we risk having to leave out players of a very high level.”

There are some caveats to that statement, but the fact Juventus have such an excess of unwanted players is damning indeed and underlines the issues they have had in shipping out those who are now surplus to requirements. Sarri was also correct as he added that “it’s a situation we have to resolve and it is not just about the decisions made by coach or club.”

Those words were decidedly pointed, the veteran tactician putting the onus on the very players who have refused moves away. According to those working behind the scenes, Dybala turned down both Tottenham and Manchester United despite both clubs reaching an agreement with Juve, while Khedira is believed to have rejected Arsenal, Wolves, and Turkish side Fenerbahçe in similar circumstances.

Supporters are confused by how many of the players have been handled, none more so than Dybala, the club’s vice-captain seemingly pushed hard towards those English suitors against his own wishes. He responded with a pointed celebration after scoring in a friendly against Triestina last weekend, clearly unhappy with how he had been treated in the previous few weeks.

With players digging their heels in and less than two weeks to go until the Champions League squad must be decided, Sarri’s fears over an “embarrassing situation” are speeding quickly towards being a reality. Since he spoke to the media, Luca Pellegrini has joined Cagliari on loan, meaning Juventus now have 27 senior players on their books and only 22 of them will be eligible for UEFA’s elite competition.

But for a failed medical, injured goalkeeper Mattia Perin would have joined Porto already, and he will be out of action for a few months anyway, joined on the sidelines by Marko Pjaca. Those two will certainly be omitted from the final reckoning, meaning the Old Lady is now down to three men too many.

Having done so much good work over the last nine years, the club’s management team has earned the right to be trusted, but they risk squandering that faith after a haphazard summer. It started so well, but — at least from the outside looking in — the Bianconeri have lost their way and appear to be unsure of how to proceed.

The Old Lady got her new men, but she’s having serious problems ditching the ones she no longer needs. They return to action with a match against Parma on Saturday as Serie A gets underway, but the off-field problems are currently overshadowing any result they might pull off on the pitch at the Stadio Tardini. An interesting two weeks lie ahead for Juventus.

Adam Digby is an Italian football writer for FourFourTwo, The Independent, and elsewhere. Author of "Juventus: A History In Black & White." Follow Adam on Twitter.